Dawn Lindsay

Identifying at risk individuals for drug and alcohol dependence: teaching the competency to students in classroom and clinical settings.

Alcohol use and other drug use affect patient healthcare outcomes. This article describes a classroom-to-clinical approach teaching nursing students to utilize motivational interviewing techniques to support patient behavior change. Through the lens of a universal prevention method, nursing students learned about reward circuit activation leading to risky substance use and the difference between addiction and at-risk use. Specific assessment tools and motivational interviewing techniques were presented in the classroom. Students then applied their knowledge in simulation laboratories and clinical rotations.

Appropriate Use of Drug Testing in Clinical Addiction Medicine

&NA; Biological drug testing is a tool that provides information about an individuals recent substance use. Like any tool, its value depends on using it correctly; that is, on selecting the right test for the right person at the right time. This document is intended to clarify appropriate clinical use of drug testing in addiction medicine and aid providers in their decisions about drug testing for the identification, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery of patients with, or at risk for, addiction. The RAND Corporation (RAND)/University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Appropriateness Method (RAM) process for combining scientific evidence with the collective judgment of experts was used to identify appropriate clinical practices and highlight areas where research is needed. Although consensus panels and expert groups have offered guidance on the use of drug testing for patients with addiction, very few addressed considerations for patients across settings and in different levels of care. This document will focus primarily on patients in addiction treatment and recovery, where drug testing is used to assess patients for a substance use disorder, monitor the effectiveness of a treatment plan, and support recovery. Inasmuch as the scope includes the recognition of addiction, which often occurs in general healthcare settings, selected special populations at risk for addiction visiting these settings are briefly included.

Changing BSN Students’ Stigma Toward Patients Who Use Alcohol and Opioids Through Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Education and Training: A Pilot Study:

BACKGROUND: Stigma associated with substance use is considered a barrier to implementing Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and assisting patients to receive appropriate treatment. OBJECTIVES: To test the efficacy of SBIRT education and training in changing undergraduate nursing students’ attitudes about working with patients who have problems with alcohol and opioid use. DESIGN: A sample of 49 undergraduate nursing students were surveyed, using five subscales, at three time points. RESULTS: After a 15-week semester that included (a) SBIRT education and (b) weekly clinical experiences with patients who had alcohol use problems the undergraduate nursing students’ stigma decreased as measured by three of the five subscales. The students’ attitudes toward working with patients who had opioid use problems exhibited favorable change as measured by four of the five subscales. CONCLUSION: SBIRT education and training for undergraduate nursing students might help mitigate some of their stigma toward working with patients who have mild to moderate alcohol and opioid use problems.

Creative Learning Through the Use of Simulation to Teach Nursing Students Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Alcohol and Other Drug Use in a Culturally Competent Manner:

Introduction: Cultural competency is an integral component in undergraduate nursing education to provide patient-centered care and addressing patients’ cultural differences. Students need to consider the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use/misuse in patients from all cultures. This project combines cultural competency education, simulation, and educating students to use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for alcohol and other drug use. Method: Culturally diverse simulation scenarios were developed and used in the simulation lab with students to reduce stigma surrounding other cultures while learning an evidence-based practice to screen and intervene with patients who use/misuse substances. Results: Results show students value simulation and 91% of the students felt that they were able to apply culturally competent knowledge after the simulation experience. Discussion: Cultural competency principles can be embedded in teaching the broader evidence-based practice of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment with undergraduate students. This is a replicable teaching methodology that could be adapted in other schools of nursing.

Interprofessional collaborative practice incorporating training for alcohol and drug use screening for healthcare providers in rural areas

ABSTRACT Interprofessional collaborative practice expands resources in rural and underserved communities. This article explores the impact of an online education programme on the perceptions of healthcare providers about interprofessional care within alcohol and drug use screening for rural residents. Nurses, behavioural health counsellors, and public health professionals participated in an evidence-based practice (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment—SBIRT) model that targets individuals who use alcohol and other drugs in a risky manner. SBIRT is recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force as a universal, evidence-based screening tool. Online modules, case simulation practice, and interprofessional dialogues are used to deliver practice-based learning experiences. A quasi-experimental method with pre-tests and post-tests was utilised. Results indicate increased perceptions of professional competence, need for cooperation, actual cooperation, and role values pre-to-post training. Implications suggest that online interprofessional education is useful but the added component of professional dialogues regarding patient cases offers promise in promoting collaborative practice.

Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Individuals With Drug Use Problems: Confirming the Factor Structure of the Drug and Drug Problems Perception Questionnaire

Abstract The Drug and Drug Problems Perception Questionnaire (DDPPQ) is a multidimensional instrument that measures healthcare providers’ attitudes toward working with patients who use drugs. Five- and six-subscale versions of the DDPPQ have been published. Although the reliability of the DDPPQ subscales was reported to be satisfactory, the factor structure of either version was not validated by a confirmatory factor analysis. The aim of this study was to examine the internal factor structure of the 22-item DDPPQ instrument using a sample of undergraduate nursing students. This study was a secondary analysis that utilized baseline data from the Addiction Training for Nurses using Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Program. The DDPPQ was administrated during the undergraduate nursing students’ junior year in a single university setting in southwestern Pennsylvania. A sample of 473 students was used in this study. The sample was split equally to conduct both principal component analysis (n = 237) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 236). On average, the sample had a mean age of 22.9 years and was predominantly female (87.2%) and Caucasian (90.9%). A principal component analysis revealed that a five-factor structure had the best fit after the removal of two items. Reliabilities of the five subscales ranged from &agr; = .696 to &agr; = .904. Thus, a five-factor structure with removal of Items 9 and 19 is recommended when using the DDPPQ with undergraduate nursing students.

Discovering SBIRT implementation and training priorities: The National SBIRT ATTC Needs Assessment

Background In the summer of 2013, the National Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment Addiction Technology Transfer Center (National SBIRT ATTC) launched a national Needs Assessment focusing on the implementation of SBIRT services. The objectives are to the purpose of the Needs Assessment was to assess the current use of SBIRT in various settings, to examine SBIRT implementation models, and to determine training and technical assistance needs.