Pennsylvania SBIRT Medical and Residency Training: developing, implementing, and evaluating an evidenced-based...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Addiction Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Medical residents often lack sufficient training in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol and other drug use disorders.
• Effective SBIRT is crucial for addressing substance use disorders within primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Pennsylvania SBIRT Medical and Residency Training program (SMaRT).
• To enhance medical residents' knowledge and skills in SBIRT for alcohol and other drug use disorders.
• To disseminate an evidence-based SBIRT curriculum across multiple residency programs.

Main Methods:

• The SMaRT program utilizes an evidence-based curriculum delivered across 4 hospital systems and 7 residency sites.
• Training targets 1147 medical residents, focusing on practical SBIRT knowledge and skills.
• Program evaluation methods are described to assess curriculum effectiveness and implementation.

Main Results:

• The SMaRT program successfully implemented an evidence-based SBIRT curriculum across diverse residency settings.
• Initial implementation data indicates reach to a significant number of medical residents.
• Detailed evaluation findings on resident knowledge and skill acquisition are pending.

Conclusions:

• The SMaRT program provides a scalable model for enhancing SBIRT training for medical residents.
• Improving resident competency in SBIRT is essential for early intervention in substance use disorders.
• Dissemination of this curriculum can improve healthcare provider capacity to address addiction.