Adolescent Addiction Curriculum: Impact on Knowledge Self-Assessment in Pediatric Learners

Addiction is developmentally a pediatric-onset disease. Adolescent addiction recently gained the nation's attention due to the steep increase in opioid-related drug overdose deaths. Educating future adolescent health providers on adolescent addiction is a strategic initiative to mitigate the impact of this challenging public health concern.

We used a logic model worksheet to identify key target areas informing the curriculum content development. The curriculum was written to be delivered in three successive parts-the Science of Addiction, Adolescence and Addiction, and Diagnosis and Treatment-each within a 2-hour interactive lecture session using PowerPoint presentations, brief videos, and learner activities. We collected data using pre- and postsession self-evaluation questionnaires. We calculated mean differences in scores and obtained qualitative data from learner comments.

Sessions were well received by attendees. A total of 31 participants attended at least one session. Knowledge of adolescent addiction increased in each session, with the greatest increase in the Science of Addiction (1.6, p = .0011), followed by Diagnosis and Treatment (1.1, p < .0001) and Adolescence and Addiction (0.9, p < .0001).

Attendance at one or more sessions improved participants' addiction-related knowledge. Graduate medical training programs can provide adolescent addiction education using systematic curricula such as this. Furthermore, this curriculum can be adapted to suit different groups of learners.