The impact of knowledge on attitudes of emergency department staff towards patients with substance related presentations: a quantitative systematic review protocol.

Abstract

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE The overall objective of this systematic review is to synthesize the available evidence on the relationship between new knowledge (gained through educational interventions about substance use/abuse) and health care providers’ attitudes (measured by well validated instruments such as the Drug and Drug Problems Perceptions Questionnaire, the Short Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire, etc.) towards patients with substance-related presentations to emergency departments. The specific review question is: Among emergency department staff, does the acquisition of knowledge (on educational interventions about substance use) impact attitudes in relation to their therapeutic role towards patients with substance-related presentations? INCLUSION CRITERIA Types of participants This review will consider studies that include health care providers (nurses, physicians, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals), working in urban and rural emergency departments (emergency rooms, accident and emergency rooms) of healthcare facilities worldwide, and providing care to adult patients who indicate some level of substance use. Substance-related presentation phenomena will include hazardous alcohol use, alcohol misuse, use of legal and restricted pharmacological agents, and illicit drug use. Studies that address patient presentations to emergency departments for traumatic injury, motor vehicle crashes, traumatic presentations secondary to violence, and drug and alcohol overdoses or physical health conditions related to substance usage (such as heart and liver failure, pancreatitis and gastric problems) will be included. Types of intervention(s) Quantitative papers examining the impact of educational interventions about substance use/abuse on health care providers’ attitudes towards substance using patients will be included. TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS