Caring for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder: A Near-Peer Workshop for Medical Students

The opioid epidemic remains a public health crisis driven largely by synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Gaps in undergraduate medical education contribute to health disparities among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). We developed a peer-led workshop for medical students to enhance their competence and confidence in managing hospitalized patients with OUD.

Students participated in a 60-minute, peer-led, case-based workshop during their Medicine Clerkship. Workshop content focused on fentanyl's role in the opioid epidemic, counseling about medication for OUD (MOUD), and acute pain management for patients with OUD. We assessed students' knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in managing patients with OUD with surveys and a focus group.

Sixty students participated in the workshop. Postworkshop surveys showed a significant increase in confidence asking about opioid use (p = .02), counseling about MOUD (p < .001), identifying harm reduction practices (p < .001), and managing acute pain (p < .001). These findings were associated with an improvement in attitudes about patients with OUD and an increase in general knowledge about opioids (p = .004). Student feedback affirmed the clinical applicability of the material and supported the peer-led teaching format.

This peer-led workshop enhanced medical students' confidence and competence in caring for hospitalized patients with OUD. Future directions include expanding participation and refining the assessment tools to better capture skill acquisition. Our findings underscore the importance of integrating OUD management education into undergraduate medical education curricula and the key role that near-peer teachers can play in this implementation.