Humanizing Substance Abuse: A Theory-Based Educational Intervention for Undergraduate Nursing Students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Addiction Studies
• Healthcare Attitudes

Background:

• Negative attitudes among healthcare providers and students toward substance abuse disorders impact patient care and outcomes.
• Addressing these biases is crucial for improving the quality of care for individuals with substance use disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a theory-based educational intervention in modifying nursing students' attitudes towards patients with substance abuse disorders.
• To assess the impact of experiential learning theory on reducing bias in nursing students.

Main Methods:

• Nursing students underwent a teaching intervention based on experiential learning theory, incorporating diverse learning modalities.
• The Medical Condition Regard Scale was administered pre- and post-intervention to measure changes in attitudes.

Main Results:

• Student nurses initially held less favorable attitudes towards substance-abusing individuals compared to those with pneumonia or GERD.
• Significant positive shifts in attitudes were observed post-intervention.
• Students reported high satisfaction with the educational intervention and debriefing.

Conclusions:

• The educational intervention is a cost-effective, replicable, and time-efficient method to improve nursing student attitudes.
• This intervention can be readily integrated into undergraduate nursing programs.
• Enhancing student attitudes can lead to improved care for patients with substance abuse disorders.