Introduction: Because of the dangers in the nature of flight, pilots have to fly in perfect medical conditions. Besides the undesirable effects of the diseases, side effects of the medications used in the treatment might also risk flight safety. In this study, we investigated the drug use attitude of Turkish Armed Forces pilots.
Material-Method: In order to investigate their drug use attitude, a questionnaire was given to 408 pilots at GATA Aerospace Medical Center. Drug use attitude, drugs used by pilots and side effects were questioned.
Results: 41 % of pilots reported that they used drugs during active flying. But the drug use rate of Army pilots was 57 %, which was higher than the Air Force and Navy pilots. The most common used drugs were analgesics.
Conclusion: It is obvious that pilots might use drugs without informing their flight surgeon. Flight surgeons should always educate the pilots about the importance and dangers of self-medication.
Key words: Aviation, pilots, drug use Article Language: Turkish English
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