Addiction Training Scale: Pilot Study of a Self-Report Evaluation Tool for Psychiatry Residents

Abstract

Alcohol and drug dependence disorders have become common public health hazards. Psychiatrists encounter these problems in a major portion of their patients. However, recent data suggest that their training does not provide them the confidence to treat these disorders. Current methods of evaluating residents fail to adequately ascertain the lack of confidence in substance abuse training. Here, we present the Addiction Training Scale (ATS) that we developed to help trainers identify deficits in residents' substance abuse training. We developed the ATS and conducted a pilot study with the psychiatry residents at the Creighton University Department of Psychiatry, to test the validity of the ATS as a self-report evaluation tool to measure the level of psychiatry residents' preparedness in treating substance abuse disorders. Our results suggest that the ATS is related to the confidence and preparedness that residents express in their ability to treat substance abuse problems. The ATS may be beneficial in assessing psychiatry residents' substance abuse training and identifying deficits, which may be addressed during training.