Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Dynamic Case-Based Module Set for Interprofessional Educators, Learners, and Clinicians

Date of Review: June, 2022

The resource presents a 3-module, online curriculum to increase awareness and education on opioid use disorders among health professional trainees and providers. It was developed with support from a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, in order to offer training to a broad health care audience that aligns with CDC best practices. The training modules, each of which take about 1 hour to complete, target both health professions students and practicing clinicians who want to meet state medical board requirements through CME credits, The modules cover the following 3 topics: Safe Opioid Prescribing, Recognizing and Treating Opioid Use Disorder, and Opioids and Pain Management. Modules can be completed as individual stand-alone CME trainings, or together as a single 3-hour training. At the end of each module, learners complete learning assessment questions; a score of at least 80% is required to receive CME credit. The most notable strength of the curriculum is its ready-made format; the online modules are available for free download on MedEdPORTAL in a format that is familiar and accessible to most clinicians and trainees. The online modules’ format is subject to inherent limitations, such as the lack of opportunities for learners to interact with instructors. Additionally, the resource authors report that students in their institution’s physician assistant (PA) program benefited from having supplemental materials linked to these modules. Instructors may therefore feel the desire, or need, to embed these modules within a larger curriculum that they design and implement. Overall, however, the curriculum’s accessibility and relevance to many clinicians and trainees will likely make it valuable to a variety of audiences. –Dave Liss, PhD, NCEAS

Corresponding Author’s Email:

rachel.porter@duke.edu

Institution:

Duke University School of Medicine

Where was the Curriculum Implemented:

Durham, NC

Outcomes that Have Been Reported for the Curriculum:

Self-reported learner attitude

Self-reported learner knowledge

Measured in learner knowledge

Outcome and Study Design:

Post only