The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #47267

Ayse Atasoylu, MD, MPH¹, Gregg Baker, BSW², Katherine Domoto, MD, MBA², and Henrietta Barnes, MD³. (1) Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Hospital, Tewksbury Hospital, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617-491-8264, Ayse_Atasoylu@hms.harvard.edu, (2) Medicine, Tewksbury Hospital-Massachusetts DPH, 365 East Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876, (3) Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 237 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Substance abuse is a growing health problem(1). Until recently, residency programs and medical schools offered very little formal curricula in this area(2). Tewksbury Hospital is a state-funded public health hospital affiliated with several substance abuse treatment programs. Primary care and pre-psychiatry interns from an area teaching hospital and 4th year medical students were recruited to participate in a unique educational experience. During the years 2000-01, 23 learners, spent one day of their 4 week required rotation in addiction medicine, on the Tewksbury Hospital campus. Learners were introduced to different substance abuse treatment settings including an acute treatment setting and several residential treatment programs. Each learner interviewed clients from each of these programs for an hour with the goal of getting to know the clients and the effect substances have had on their lives. They also had the opportunity to attend didactic sessions, group sessions in relapse prevention, and interact with staff psychiatrists treating patients with dual diagnoses. The response to this experience was overwhelmingly positive. 17/23 (73%) rated the overall experience as excellent and 6/23 rated the experience as very good on a 5-point Likert scale (Poor to Excellent). All the learners said they would want to return for similar educational experiences and that they would recommend this experience to a colleague. Narrative comments emphasized the client interviews as positive experiences that were not available in the short-term treatment settings at the acute care hospital. Public health settings and the non-traditional interview can enhance substance abuse training.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this session participants will be able to

• Describe the development of a unique educational program in substance abuse training at Tewksbury Hospital
• Describe the use of the unstructured interview as a means to complement substance abuse training
• Identify potential collaborators, learners and venues for teaching about substance abuse in their own public health settings

Keywords: Education, Substance Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.