Addiction Training Research Articles

Evaluation of nurses’ attitudes and behaviors regarding narcotic drug safety and addiction: a descriptive cross-sectional study

BackgroundBy evaluating nurses’ attitudes and behaviors regarding narcotic drug safety and addiction, effective strategies need to be developed for combating addiction in healthcare institutions. This study, aimed at providing an insight into patient and staff safety issues through the formulation of health policies, aimed to evaluate nurses’ attitudes and behaviors regarding narcotic drug safety and addiction.MethodsThe study was conducted in a descriptive cross-sectional design. It was carried out with 191 nurses in a public hospital between March 2023 and August 2023. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, gathering socio-demographic information and utilizing the Addictive Substance Attitude Scale. The data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA tests, and regression analysis (P < .001 and p < .05).ResultsThe average age of the participants was determined to be 36.58 ± 8.40. It was reported by 85.3% of nurses that narcotic drug follow-ups in their units were conducted according to procedures. In the study, it was found that 63.9% of nurses did not know the procedure to be followed towards a healthcare professional identified as a narcotic substance addict. The total mean score of the Addictive Substance Attitude Scale of nurses participating in the study was 74.27 ± 14.70. A significant difference was found between the total scores of the scale and the level of education of nurses, the follow-up status of the drugs in the unit where they work, their status of receiving narcotic drug addiction training, and their routine use of the half-dose drug disposal form (p < .05).ConclusionsThe findings of this study underscore the importance of evaluating nurses’ attitudes and behaviors regarding narcotic drug safety and addiction. These results indicate the need for nursing administrators, particularly in terms of patient and staff safety, to adopt more effective policies and strategies.

Primary Addiction Training for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows: A National Survey of Program Directors

Primary Addiction Training for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows: A National Survey of Program Directors

Insights into primary care physicians’ detection, intervention and management of patients with substance use disorders in Egypt

Egypt is experiencing an increasing drug problem (cannabis, heroin, amphetamines, pharmaceutical opioids, synthetic cannabinoids). Whilst harm reduction and addiction treatment are provided by government and non-governmental organizations in Egypt, very little is known about physicians experience of handling patient substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) in primary care. A cross-sectional national study of 392 Egyptian Family Physicians (FPs) & General Practitioners (GPs) explored their knowledge, attitude and professional practice regarding management of SUD in primary care, as a first step toward identifying professional development support needs and informing general practice. Findings underscore the need for greater depth of addiction training during undergraduate medical education and in continuing professional development, so that Egyptian FPs/GPs can better prevent harmful substance use, detect patients with SUD, intervene and support those in treatment. This study provides unique information which will inform further development and scale of evidence based SUD brief intervention and treatment within Egyptian primary care.

Internal Medicine Resident Addiction Training at the Veteran's Health Administration: A Qualitative Evaluation of Site Directors' Response to the 2022 ACGME Requirements.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are prevalent in the USA yet remain dramatically undertreated. To address this care gap, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved revisions to the Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education (GME) in Internal Medicine, effective July 1, 2022, requiring addiction medicine training for all internal medicine (IM) residents. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a clinical training site for many academic institutions that sponsor IM residencies. This focus group project evaluated VHA IM residency site directors' perspectives about providing addiction medical education within VHA IM training sites. To better understand the current state, barriers to, and facilitators of IM resident addiction medicine training at VHA sites. This was a qualitative evaluation based on semi-structured video-based focus groups. Participants were VHA IM site directors based at a VHA hospital or clinic throughout the USA. Focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured group interview guide. Two investigators coded each focus group independently, then met to create a final adjudicated coding scheme. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes. Forty-three participants from 38 VHA sites participated in four focus groups (average size: 11 participants). Six themes were identified within four pre-defined categories. Current state of training: most VHA sites offered no formal training in addiction medicine for IM residents. Barriers: addiction experts are often located outside of IM settings, and ACGME requirements were non-specific. Facilitators: clinical champions help support addiction training. Desired next steps: participants desired incentives to train or hire local champions and a pre-packaged didactic curriculum. Developing competent clinical champions and leveraging VHA addiction specialists from non-IM settings would create more addiction training opportunities for IM trainees at VHA sites. These insights can likely be applied to IM training at non-VHA sites.

Medical Student Advocacy for Addiction Training Brings Results at Emory University

Medical Student Advocacy for Addiction Training Brings Results at Emory University

Preparing Physicians to Treat Addiction: Inclusion of Dedicated Addiction Training During Internal Medicine Residency.

Physicians in internal medicine lack comfort and skills required to diagnose and treat substance use disorder (SUD). Formal training in substance use treatment within primary care training has traditionally been inconsistent and sparse. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of a longitudinal experiential addiction curriculum on the attitudes and experiences of graduates from a primary care/internal medicine residency program that included formal addiction didactics, rotations in an outpatient addiction clinic embedded within the resident primary care clinic, and exposure to addiction medicine faculty across treatment settings. A survey was emailed to all graduates from a single academic primary care residency program who graduated between 2016 and 2018 (n = 53). The survey assessed pharmacotherapy for SUD prescribing patterns, comfort with SUD pharmacotherapy, overall comfort treating SUD, experience correcting stigmatizing language, and providing guidance to colleagues on the care of patients with SUD. A subset of respondents (n = 14) were interviewed regarding their experience with the residency program's addiction medicine curriculum and its impact on their current clinical practice. Sixty percent (n = 28) of graduates responded to the survey. All respondents felt comfortable using medications to treat SUD. Eighty-four percent perceived themselves as more comfortable using pharmacotherapy to treat SUD than their colleagues. Qualitative interviews revealed that this addiction medicine training shaped participants' attitudes toward patients with SUD and imparted them with the skills to address stigmatizing language. Participants described how they have become ambassadors of addiction medicine in their workplace and a resource to colleagues with less comfort in the management of SUD. Graduates of a primary care/internal medicine residency with a dedicated addiction medicine curriculum are comfortable prescribing pharmacotherapy for SUD, taking an active role in reducing SUD-related stigma, and serving as a resource for colleagues.

"Not doing it justice": Perspectives of Recent Family Medicine Graduates on Mental Health and Addictions Training in Residency.

Family physicians report feeling inadequately prepared to meet the evolving mental health care needs of the population. Little scholarship exists evaluating the effectiveness of curricula designed to teach mental health and addiction (MH&A) care to family medicine (FM) residents. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of recent FM residency graduates in providing mental health care, and their perceptions of mental health training gaps during their residencies. A qualitative descriptive study design was conducted by 8 recent graduates of the University of Toronto's FM residency program, who participated in semi-structured video interviews. A thematic analysis approach was used to collect and analyze the data. Through thematic analysis, 3 overarching themes were developed: (1) barriers in providing mental health and addiction care, (2) curriculum renewal, and (3) the role of FPs and professional identity. Consistent with the literature, the majority of recent FM graduates expressed discomfort when managing patients with mental health and addiction concerns. Additionally, participants perceived residency program time constraints, rotational site differences, and limited exposure to marginalized populations all impacted learning and mastery of skills. The findings of this study underscore current gaps within the FM residency curriculum and highlight the need to address current curricular deficits.

Needs assessment and preparatory work for addiction science programs at universities: experiences of universities in South Africa

ABSTRACT Background This paper discusses the results from the first formal needs assessment conducted in South Africa to identify university curriculum development needs for addiction science training, particularly Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). Aim The aim of the study was to report on the current addiction science curricula available at South African universities, educator views on the need for a new specialized addiction science curriculum, and the feasibility of implementing such a curriculum. Method A 33 item electronic survey was emailed to respondents. Results There is no standardization in SUD curriculum content and training at South African universities. Academic staff responsible for offering SUD training and curriculum development pedagogies in addiction are inadequately trained with a lack of content expertise. The absence of clear accreditation and certification standards and protocols results in graduates of varying competency levels and no registration as an addiction professional. Conclusion Standardized academic training in addiction science is crucial for the professionalization of an addiction workforce.

Education and Training in Addiction Medicine and Psychology across Europe: A EUFAS Survey

Introduction: Training in addiction medicine and addiction psychology is essential to ensure the quality of treatment for patients with substance use disorders. Some earlier research has shown varying training between countries, but no comprehensive study of addiction training across Europe has been performed. The present study by the European Federation for Addiction Societies (EUFAS) aimed to fill this gap. Methods: A Delphi process was used to develop a questionnaire on specialist training in addiction treatment in 24 European countries. The final questionnaire consisted of 14 questions on either addiction medicine or addiction psychology, covering the nature and content of the training and institutional approval, the number of academic professorial positions, and the estimated number of specialists in each country. Results: Information was not received from all countries, but six (Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Romania) reported no specialized addiction medicine training, while 17 countries did. Seven countries (Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands) reported no specialized addiction psychology training, while 14 countries did. Training content and evaluation methods varied. Approval was given either by governments, universities, or professional societies. Eighteen countries reported having professorships in addiction medicine and 12 in addiction psychology. The number of specialists in addiction medicine or psychology varied considerably across the countries. Discussion: The survey revealed a large heterogeneity in training in addiction medicine and addiction psychology across Europe. Several countries lacked formal training, and where formal training was present, there was a large variation in the length of the training. Harmonization of training, as is currently the case for other medical and psychology specializations, is warranted to ensure optimal treatment for this under-served patient group.

The effect of technology addiction training given to nursing students on the perspectives and addiction levels of students

ObjectiveThe study was conducted to investigate the effect of technology addiction training given to nursing students on their Internet and technology addiction perspectives and addiction levels. MethodThe data of the experimental research with a control group and a pretest-posttest design were collected online using the Personal Information Form and the Technology Addiction Scale. Sample size was 82. Technology addiction training was given for 10 weeks. Post-test data were collected after the training. The Mann Whitney-U test, t-test, Tukey HSD test, Kruskal Wallis test, and Bonferroni-Dunn test were used for statistical analysis. The Fisher's Exact Test and the Chi-Square test were used to analyze the categorical variables. ResultsThe level of technology addiction of the students in the experimental group was 52.69 ± 17.218 in the pre-test and 51.31 ± 14.931 in the post-test. In the control group, the level of technology addiction was found to be 54.03 ± 18.955 in the pre-test and 53.39 ± 20.159 in the post-test. Thus, it can be stated that the students in both groups were moderately addicted to technology and no significant difference was observed between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the groups after the training. ConclusionThe study revealed that the students were moderately addicted to technology and used technological devices at a high rate. In addition, the ineffectiveness of the training, and being aware of the harms of technology, but disregarding the importance of these harms were the interesting findings that showed the severity of the problem. Clinical trials IDNCT05277545.

Management of medically assisted withdrawal from alcohol in acute adult mental health and specialist addictions in-patient services: UK clinical audit findings.

Medically assisted alcohol withdrawal (MAAW) is increasingly undertaken on acute adult psychiatric wards. Comparison of the quality of MAAW between acute adult wards and specialist addictions units in mental health services. Clinical audit conducted by the Prescribing Observatory for Mental Health (POMH). Information on MAAW was collected from clinical records using a bespoke data collection tool. Forty-five National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts/healthcare organisations submitted data relating to the treatment of 908 patients undergoing MAAW on an acute adult ward or psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) and 347 admitted to a specialist NHS addictions unit. MAAW had been overseen by an addiction specialist in 33 (4%) of the patients on an acute adult ward/PICU. A comprehensive alcohol history, measurement of breath alcohol, full screening for Wernicke's encephalopathy, use of parenteral thiamine, prescription of medications for relapse prevention (such as acamprosate) and referral for specialist continuing care of alcohol-related problems following discharge were all more commonly documented when care was provided on a specialist unit or when there was specialist addictions management on an acute ward. The findings suggest that the quality of care provided for medically assisted withdrawal from alcohol, including the use of evidence-based interventions, is better when clinicians with specialist addictions training are involved. This has implications for future quality improvement in the provision of MAAW in acute adult mental health settings.

The Effectiveness of Media Literacy Training in Adolescent Internet Addiction

The Effectiveness of Media Literacy Training in Adolescent Internet Addiction

Preventive medicine in pediatric cardiology practice.

The objective of the study was to assess contemporary practice patterns of pediatric cardiologists with respect to cholesterol disorders and smoking-related illness. We sent 2 anonymous surveys to the members of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery and the Pediheart online community. The surveys addressed training in and management of cholesterol disorders and smoking-related illness. There were 97 responses to the cholesterol disorders survey. A total of 51.6% reported little or no formal training on cholesterol disorders. A total of 56.4% underestimated the prevalence of familial hypercholesterolemia by at least twofold. A total of 54.7% were at least somewhat comfortable prescribing statins. In 5 clinical vignettes, respondents frequently gave clinical recommendations in line with the 2019 American Heart Association guidelines although both undertreatment and overtreatment were recommended. There were 90 responses to the survey on smoking-related illness. Little or no formal training in nicotine addiction (52.3%) or smoking cessation (60.5%) was reported by respondents. Respondents screened for tobacco use in less than a one-third of hospitalizations and less than two-thirds of outpatient clinic visits. Screening for exposure to secondhand smoke was even less common. Twenty-seven percent of respondents never recommend a household smoking ban for their patients. A total of 83.3% were uncomfortable prescribing medications for their patients for smoking cessation, and 65.5% rarely or never refer patients for smoking cessation assistance. Although positioned to address the childhood origins of adult heart disease, those cardiologists surveyed placed a limited emphasis on cholesterol disorders and smoking-related disease in their clinical practice.

Addiction experts: The discrepancy between expectations and reality of generalist psychiatry training.

The generalist psychiatrist is recognised in Australia as a specialist in the management of addiction. However, generalist training does not adequately prepare psychiatrists to take on this expert role. This problem is exacerbated by the lack of consensus around core competencies and training pathways. This article conceptualises the status of addiction training in generalist psychiatry training, outlines current gaps and worrying trends and provides suggestions for how these can be addressed. Limited international leadership in the field provides an opportunity for psychiatry training in Australia and New Zealand to set a gold standard for training general psychiatrists to hold core competencies in addiction psychiatry. Key strategies will include: the identification and monitoring of addiction rotations; providing a formal training module in addiction; specifying a set proportion of addiction exam questions; and obtain consensus on core competencies.

A clinical science guide for reviewing the cross-cultural rigor of assessments in an alcohol training clinic.

A standard component of service delivery in alcohol treatment clinics is evidence-based assessment (EBA). Although EBA is essential for selecting appropriate treatment modalities for alcohol use and associated problems, there are limitations in existing EBAs concerning evidence of cultural equivalence and utility among individuals seeking alcohol treatment. However, training in EBA, addictions, and clinical applications with diverse populations all are gaps in clinical training in doctoral programs in clinical psychology. The present work used the clinical science model to review the psychometric properties, cross-cultural utility, and measurement invariance of measures in an assessment battery used in an alcohol treatment training clinic. This article describes the results of that review, recommendations for retaining or replacing common assessment measures used in alcohol treatment clinics, and recommendations for alcohol treatment clinics interested in engaging in similar processes. Findings suggested that more research is needed to evaluate the psychometric properties of EBAs utilized in an alcohol treatment assessment battery, particularly among American Indian and Alaska Native people, and to test measurement invariance across race/ethnicity and other identity groups in alcohol treatment-seeking populations. Overall, routine reviews of cultural relevance are needed in clinical settings to stay current with the emerging literature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Early Career Training in Addiction Medicine: A Qualitative Study with Health Professions Trainees Following a Specialized Training Program in a Canadian Setting

Background: There has been a notable deficiency in the implementation of addiction science in clinical practice and many healthcare providers feel unprepared to treat patients with substance use disorders (SUD) following training. However, the perceptions of addiction medicine training by learners in health professions have not been fully investigated. This qualitative study explored perceptions of prior training in SUD care among early-career trainees enrolled in Addiction Medicine fellowships and electives in Vancouver, Canada. Methods: From April 2015 – August 2018, we interviewed 45 early-career physicians, social workers, nurses, and 17 medical students participating in training in addiction medicine. We coded transcripts inductively using qualitative data analysis software (NVivo 11.4.3). Results: Findings revealed six key themes related to early-career training in addiction medicine: (1) Insufficient time spent on addiction education, (2) A need for more structured addictions training, (3) Insufficient hands-on clinical training and skill development, (4) Lack of patient-centeredness and empathy in the training environment, (5) Insufficient implementation of evidence-based medicine, and (6) Prevailing stigmas toward addiction medicine. Conclusion: Early clinical training in addiction medicine appears insufficient and largely focused on symptoms, rather than etiology or evidence. Early career learners in health professions perceived benefit to expanding access to quality education and reported positive learning outcomes after completing structured training programs.

The worrying, current state of addictions training in medicine.

The worrying, current state of addictions training in medicine.

Approach to advanced practice nursing student clinical during COVID-19.

Approach to advanced practice nursing student clinical during COVID-19.

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Hidden Curriculum in Addiction Training.

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Hidden Curriculum in Addiction Training.

Professional Development Needs in a Predominantly Rural State

&lt;p&gt;Mental health professionals working in rural states experience significant challenges in supporting the mental health needs of their community members. Thus, it is imperative for the professional organizations that serve these practitioners to understand their professional development needs. Members of professional organizations seek to ensure a competent and healthy workforce. In the present study, the researchers focused on identifying the training needs, interests, and preferences of mental health professionals, including professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and social workers in Wyoming. A statewide needs assessment completed by 258 participants indicated a strong need for ethics, trauma, and addictions training using accessible formats, including online webinars and annual conferences.&lt;/p&gt;