AMERSA, Author at AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words: Perceptions of Alcohol Use by Friends Compared to Peers: Associations with Middle Adolescents’ Own Use

Apr 15, 2020 by AMERSA

The Authors’ Own Words: We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Perceptions of Alcohol Use by Friends Compared to Peers: Associations with Middle Adolescents’ Own Use

Jonathon J. Beckmeyer, PhD & Elizabeth H. Weybright, PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 3, 2016

“Based on our results, we believe that social norming approaches to alcohol prevention may be more impactful by targeting beliefs about alcohol use among friends rather than focusing on the broader peer group. It may also be beneficial to use adolescents’ perceptions of alcohol use by friends to identify those who may be at greater risk current for future alcohol use. Finally, efforts to prevent or reduce adolescent drinking may also want to reduce opportunities for alcohol use with friends.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Participants’ perception of a unique community of practice for substance abuse education in the Caribbean

Apr 15, 2020 by AMERSA

Participants’ perception of a unique community of practice for substance abuse education in the Caribbean

Sandra D. Reid, MBBS, MPH, DM (Psych); Erica Downes, BSc, MPH; & Akwatu Khenti, BA, MA

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 3, 2016

“In the Caribbean, increased substance abuse and associated harms demand effective training for health and allied professionals. CARIAD is the first ever reported substance abuse training programme based on the principles of a community of practice. CARIAD also has a unique Caribbean cultural component, which gives participants an opportunity to provide cultural insights into local and regional expressions of substance abuse and its management, intentionally generating local knowledge that is important in the understanding and management of substance use disorders. Participants report effective learning and dissemination of knowledge; a positive impact on personal attitudes, collective commitment and motivation; and empowerment in professional practice. This process of learning can be recommended to countries where socio-culturally relevant research is not prioritized and evidence-driven interventions are not always available.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Teaching Residents SBIRT Skills for Alcohol Use: Using Chart-Stimulated Recall to Assess Curricular Impact

Apr 14, 2020 by AMERSA

Teaching Residents SBIRT Skills for Alcohol Use: Using Chart-Stimulated Recall to Assess Curricular Impact

Maria A. Wamsley, MD; Scott Steiger, MD; Katherine A. Julian, MD; Nathaniel Gleason, MD; Patricia S. O’Sullivan, EdD; Michelle Guy, MD; & Jason M. Satterfield, PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 3, 2016

“This study is a prospective cohort study that used chart-stimulated recall to assess primary care internal medicine residents’ use of SBIRT skills and electronic tools to facilitate documentation of alcohol assessment and brief intervention.This article is timely given the increasing focus on integrating substance abuse competencies into internal medicine residency training. Given the widespread adoption of the electronic health record, decision support tools offer promise in reinforcing application of SBIRT skills. Study findings suggest that in order for resident learners to fully benefit from the use of decision support tools, these need to be better integrated into their workflow and their use should be reinforced by teaching faculty. Finally, chart-stimulated recall was a useful tool for better understanding what took place in clinical encounters and how SBIRT was being integrated into clinical practice by residents.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Misprescribing Controlled Substances: An Evaluation of a Professional Development Program

Apr 14, 2020 by AMERSA

Misprescribing Controlled Substances: An Evaluation of a Professional Development Program

Charlene M. Dewey, MD, MEd, FACP; Marine V. Ghulyan, MA; & William H. Swiggart, MS

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 3, 2016

“This is the first study to assess knowledge and transfer of behaviors into clinical practice using a systematic evaluation model for providers who misprescribe controlled prescription drugs. Participants in this study demonstrated improved knowledge and use of SBIRT, proper prescribing practices, appropriate monitoring, and referrals for patients with substance misuse/abuse. Improving physicians’ prescribing behaviors has significant implications on patient care and safety. Using a systematic approach and evaluation model to assess the effectiveness of continuing professional development program proved useful and valuable in assessing changes on different levels. Overall, this study helps us understand that remediation using an intensive program can be successful and physicians can change behaviors as a result of re-training.”

The Authors’ Own Words: Journalists and Substance Use: A systematic literature review

Apr 13, 2020 by AMERSA

Journalists and Substance Use: A systematic literature review

Jasmine B. MacDonald, BA/BSW(Hons1); Anthony J. Saliba, BSc(Hons), PhD; & Gene Hodgins, BA(Hons), DPsych(Clin)

Substance Abuse Vol. 37, Iss. 3, 2016

“In recent years there has been increased focus on the psychological risks of journalistic work, with research in trauma and related pathologies receiving funding from organisation such as the DART center. This systematic review is a valuable addition to the literature in that it synthesises the published empirical knowledge acquired to date concerning the experience of substance use amongst journalists. The authors are aware of no other review covering substance use in journalists. As such, future work assessing trauma or other pathologies in journalist samples will cite this review to develop hypotheses about the variables that are likely to be associated with psychological health and with distress, not only in substance use but also in other areas of psychology and organisational management.”