The Authors’ Own Words: In-hospital training in addiction medicine: A mixed methods study of health care provider benefits and differences

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.

In-hospital training in addiction medicine: A mixed methods study of health care provider benefits and differences

Lauren Gorfinkel, B.Arts.Sc, MPH (Cand); Jan Klimas, MSc, PhD; Breanne Reel, BSc, MPH; Huiru Dong, MSc, PhD (Cand); Keith Ahamad, MD, CCFP; Christopher Fairgrieve, BMSc, MD, CCFP, ABAM; Mark McLean, MD, FRCPC; Annabel Mead, MD, CCFP; Seonaid Nolan, MD, FRCPC; Will Small, MA, PhD; Walter Cullen, MD, MRCGP, MICGP; Evan Wood, MD, PhD, FRCPC; & Nadia Fairbairn, MD, FRCPC

Substance Abuse Vol. 40, Iss. 2, 2019

“Although hands-on training in addiction medicine tends to be overlooked in medical education, our findings suggest that both emerging and established physicians appear to be responsive to a hospital-based dedicated elective in addiction medicine, and that overall, medical students appear to feel that they benefit most from this intervention compared to other types of learners. As substance use disorders are not limited to a single field of medicine, spanning primary care, internal medicine, pain treatment, and more, focusing education on an earlier stage of training may ultimately allow for more effective identification and treatment in a broader range of contexts. In light of the pressing need for improved knowledge of substance use disorders in healthcare settings, all learner types should be targeted for training in addiction medicine; however, our study findings suggest that medical school is the optimal time to introduce this type of training.“