Alcohol and the Law

Abstract

In the intersection of alcohol ingestion with the law, medical ethics, and public safety, physicians are often unsure about how to proceed. Physicians' primary focus should be on patient education with an ethical and legal duty to warn the patient of the adverse effects of alcohol. Warning third parties of potential harm related to alcohol-related impairment may involve a breach of patient confidentiality; therefore it should only be undertaken after careful analysis suggests that the risk for significant harm exceeds the burden that results to the patient from warning others. The law remains vague in this area.

Keywords: Alcohol; Alcohol-related impairment; Law; Patient confidentiality; Public safety.