Interdisciplinary education in the addictions: a commentary on the current status

Educating doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and social workers in a shared, patient-centered curriculum, let alone in the same classrooms and clinics, would appear impractical at best and as an insurmountable task at worst. Nonetheless, this novel idea is being implemented. This article traces the concept's development. The proceedings of three national conferences held in 2010 and 2011 are briefly summarized. Several model programs are described. Interdisciplinary education in the addictions is in the early phases. Alternative and complementary forms of health care show less progress in interprofessional education. Two concerns are noted. These pertain to the timing of implementation and budget considerations.