Improving Interprofessional Provider Perceptions About Opioid Use Disorder in the Acute Care Setting Through a...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Nursing Practice
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Rising opioid use disorder (OUD) in acute care strains staff training capacity.
• Inadequate staff education leads to negative patient experiences and staff burnout.
• Improved interprofessional education is crucial for addressing OUD challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance interprofessional staff knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding patients with OUD.
• To evaluate a blended classroom-simulation curriculum for OUD education.
• To mitigate negative impacts on staff and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post intervention design with 46 interprofessional staff.
• Blended learning: classroom education on OUD neurobiology, stigma, pain management, and harm reduction.
• High-fidelity simulation scenarios and the Drug and Drug Problems Perceptions Questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Most participants were nurses, with limited prior substance use disorder training (75.6%).
• Significant decrease in mean questionnaire scores (55.2 to 45.5, P < .001), indicating improved attitudes and perceptions.
• Post-intervention scores showed sustained positive changes at 3 and 6 months.

Conclusions:

• The blended classroom-simulation curriculum effectively improved staff perceptions of caring for patients with OUD.
• This educational model can enhance patient outcomes and staff well-being in healthcare systems.
• Interprofessional training is key to addressing OUD in acute care settings.