Title : The development and implementation of a multidisciplinary curriculum and training for screening brief intervention and referral to treatment
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a multi-disciplinary curriculum and training of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) at a large mid-western university in the U.S. The program called “Advancing Multidisciplinary Education for Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)” was a consortium of Schools of Social Work, Nursing, and Medicine, that integrated SBIRT into selected core courses within a Midwestern state’s healthcare and allied health care education system.The ultimate aim of this project is to design and sustain a curriculum across health care disciplines that improve the standard of care related to substance use as well as reduce the cost of substance use disorders in the local community and the state.
The World Health Organization [WHO] (2004) reports that mental and substance use disorders will exceed all physical diseases as the foremost cause of disability by the year 2020. Substance abuse continues to take its toll on society emotionally, physically and economically. The National Institute on Drug (2017) estimates the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs cost the U.S. 772 billion dollars annually.
Educating and training practitioners in screening and brief intervention for SUDs is paramount to addressing healthcare needs. Schools of social work, nursing, and medicine have long placed students in areas that serve vulnerable and diverse populations. Key faculty from each school as well as community stakeholders collaborated on the development of a curriculum that addresses the needs for the local community and the state. This project builds on training initially designed for medical residents.
The three-step sequential curriculum for this project included distinctive and innovative tailored interactive web-based educational modules, as well as face-to-face training that included motivational interviewing. Following the training students were able to integrate SBIRT into their appropriate clinical practica. Because the students were co-educated, they also had opportunities to collaborate inter-professionally, allowing for the development of team building skills for their future clinical practice.
In this presentation, the three-step sequential training - including the development of curricular materials, as well as students’ baseline knowledge, skills, and attitudes, along with the development of an SBIRT Handbook web-based app - will be presented and discussed.
