Evaluation of a Substance Use Disorder Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents

ABSTRACT

Teaching about diagnosis, treatment, and sequelae of substance use disorders (SUDs) is insufficient in most Internal Medicine residency programs. To address this, the authors developed, implemented, and evaluated a novel and comprehensive SUD curriculum for first year residents (interns) in Internal Medicine, which anchors the ensuing 3-year longitudinal SUD curriculum. This intern curriculum includes didactic and experiential elements and allows skills practice. Topics include local epidemiology of substance abuse, neurobiology of SUDs, and screening, treatment, and referral. The entire curriculum is delivered over 7 hours during a month-long ambulatory rotation. Among 58 interns who have completed a pre-post evaluation of the curriculum, the majority reported an increased sense of responsibility for and confidence in treating patients with SUDs.

KEYWORDS:

• Resident education
• substance use disorders

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by NIH grants R25 DA 14551 to Montefiore Medical Center and R25 DA 02302 to Albert Einstein College of Medicine (P.I. J. Arnsten).Portions of this research were presented at the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse Annual Meeting, Washington DC, November 8–10, 2007.