Nejat Briefcase: A tool for drug education

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pharmacology
• Public Health

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of psychoactive substance abuse necessitates enhanced physician training.
• Current medical education lacks practical exposure to drugs, hindering effective prevention and treatment strategies.
• The Nejat Briefcase was developed as an innovative educational tool to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate physicians' perspectives on the Nejat Briefcase, an educational tool for psychoactive substances and drugs.
• To assess the effectiveness of the Nejat Briefcase in a continuing medical education program at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, cross-sectional study involving 108 general physicians participating in a continuing medical education program.
• The Nejat Briefcase, containing various psychoactive substances and educational materials, was utilized for training.
• Participant feedback was collected using a validated questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive statistics and t-tests.

Main Results:

• An 83% response rate was achieved for the questionnaire.
• The mean overall score for participants' viewpoints was 4.58 out of 5, indicating positive reception.
• 90% of participants expressed satisfaction with the educational program and the Nejat Briefcase.

Conclusions:

• Physicians demonstrated highly positive viewpoints and satisfaction with the Nejat Briefcase.
• The study recommends the development and utilization of similar engaging educational tools for psychoactive substance and drug training.
• Implementing innovative educational aids is crucial for improving physician competency in addressing drug abuse issues.