Medical Student Training on the Interface of Pain and Addiction


Medical Student Knowledge and Clinical Skills Training on the Interface of Pain and Addiction		 Sally

Preclinical Courses

  • Introduction to Pain and Pain Assessment (To be developed in Phase II)
    Provide a basic understanding of how to assess pain and function for common acute and chronic pain conditions.
  • Overview of Prescription Drug Use for Pain Treament (To be developed in Phase II)
    Provide medical students with an overview of prescription drugs (controlled substances) used for pain treatment.
  • The Potential for Prescription Drug Misuse for Pain Treatment (To be developed in Phase II)
    Provide an introduction to the main issues involved at the interface of pain management and addiction medicine for medical students
  • Why Treating Pain and Addiction is Important for Improving Patient Care (To be developed in Phase II)
    Provide medical students with a thorough understanding of how patient care can improve when proper assessment and diagnosis of pain, and potential prescription drug misuse, is provided.

Clinical Courses

  • Screening and Assessment for Prescription Drug Misuse in Pain Treatment (In development: Phase I)
    Provide a basic understanding of how and when to assess pain patients for substance abuse or risk and how to risk stratify/triage patients according to assessment results
  • Brief Intervention for Prescription Drug Misuse in Patients Treated for Pain and Treatment Referral (In development: Phase I)
    Students will be able to know when to provide a brief intervention and when it is appropriate to refer to a specialist.
  • Risk Reduction and Monitoring for Patients on Chronic Opioid Therapy (To be developed in Phase II)
    Provide the medical student with an understanding of the importance of risk reduction and monitoring of patients to reduce risk of addiction when prescribing opioids.

Advanced Concepts

  • Pharmacological Pain Treatment in the Context of Addiction (To be developed in Phase II)
    Introduce medical students to the issues involved in treating pain in a patient with addiction or history of addiction

Additional Courses

  • Interviewing Skills: Lessons Learned from Standardized Patient Interviews