Faculty rating of learning objectives for an undergraduate medical curriculum in substance abuse

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe medical faculty's ratings of learning objectives related to substance abuse. A comprehensive set of learning objectives was drafted. The Associate Dean at each of Ontario's five medical schools was asked to select two faculty members from each clinical discipline who were involved in undergraduate medical education. The selected faculty were sent a survey asking them to rate 282 objectives according to their importance for undergraduate education in their discipline, using a 5‐point scale. Sixty‐eight out of 90 surveys were returned. For statistical analysis, disciplines were placed into two groups, Group 1 (internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, and anesthesia) and Group 2 (family medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics). The mean ratings of Group 1 were significantly higher than Group 2 (p < 0.001) for five sets of objectives: attitudes, epidemiology, screening and assessment, nonmedical interventions, and specific populations (women, the elderly, and adolescents). Group 1 gave mean ratings above 4 to all themes except epidemiology, inpatient care, and medical complications. In contrast, Group 2 gave mean ratings above 4 to only three themes: physician substance abuse problems, withdrawal, and medical complications. The marked differences in learning objectives between disciplines suggest that a discipline‐specific approach is needed for curricular development in substance abuse.

Key words:

• substance‐related disorders
• curriculum, medical
• faculty, medical
• schools, medical

Notes

Department of Family Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Addiction Research Foundation division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Ontario, Canada.

Department of Family Medicine, St. Joseph's Health Centre, Ontario, Canada.

To whom correspondence should be addressed at Department of Family Medicine, St. Joseph's Health Centre, 30 The Queensway, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6R 1B5; e‐mail: [email protected].

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Meldon Kahan

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Lynn Wilson

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