Infectious Complications in Injection Drug Use.

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Internal Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence has risen, leading to more infectious complications from injection drug use (IDU).
• Internal medicine trainees encounter patients with IDU-related infections in inpatient and ambulatory settings.
• Effective management and prevention of these infections are crucial for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a case-based workshop in improving internal medicine trainees' knowledge and comfort in managing infections associated with injection drug use (IDU).
• To enhance trainees' skills in diagnosing, managing, and counseling patients who inject drugs (PWID) regarding infections and ambulatory care standards.

Main Methods:

• A 90-minute, interactive, case-based workshop was conducted.
• Facilitators included an infectious diseases specialist and a senior internal medicine resident.
• Pre- and post-workshop surveys evaluated participants' comfort levels and content knowledge.

Main Results:

• Thirty out of 42 participants completed the evaluation.
• A statistically significant increase in comfort levels was observed from pre- to post-workshop.
• Trainees reported improved confidence in diagnosing and managing IDU-associated infections and ambulatory care for PWID.

Conclusions:

• The workshop successfully increased internal medicine trainees' comfort in managing infections among people who inject drugs (PWID).
• The training addressed both inpatient and ambulatory care needs for this patient population.
• Enhanced trainee confidence can lead to improved patient care and outcomes for individuals with OUD and IDU-related infections.