Eight-hour medication-assisted treatment waiver training for opioid use disorder: integration into medical school curriculum

Abstract

Background: The opioid epidemic is a growing problem in the USA. Use of medicationassisted treatment (MAT) has been effective in treating patients with opioid use disorders (OUD) and maintaining sobriety; however, there is a significant shortage of physicians formally trained in MAT. Objective: Wayne State University School of Medicine integrated the 8-hour MAT waiver training into its Internal Medicine clerkship curriculum. The objectives of integrating this into the curriculum were to (1) introduce opioid use education during students' Internal Medicine clerkship and (2) assess whether the curriculum prepares students to feel more comfortable evaluating and treating patients with OUD. Design: MAT training specifically for medical students was provided free online by the Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS). All students on the Internal Medicine clerkship were required to complete the training. A 7-question pre-survey and post-survey assessed students' comfort in evaluating and treating OUD. Significant changes were assessed with a paired McNemar Bowker Test. Results: Medical students (n = 141) completed the pre-survey and post-survey. After the MAT training, students' perspective of their clinical knowledge about OUD, familiarity with MAT, and likelihood to utilize MAT for their patients significantly differed, with increased proportions of medical students in agreement across 6 of 7 pre-post survey items (p <.0001). Conclusions: Online MAT waiver training is a low-cost (free) way to introduce MAT education into the undergraduate clinical curriculum. Upon completing of the training, medical students self-reported improvements in their knowledge and attitudes about OUD and the different treatment options. Our hope is that MAT waiver training will allow for graduation of medical students who are ready to care for patients with OUD during residency and as practitioners upon completion of their residency.

Opioid Use Disorder Curriculum: Medicine Clerkship Standardized Patient Case, Small-Group Activity, and Patient Panel

“…A variety of approaches for training medical students on OUD have shown success in short-term survey outcomes, including online training modules, student-tailored DATA-2000 waiver training, small-group discussions, and video-based tutorials. 26 – 28 In contrast to studies showing positive survey outcomes of educational interventions, we were able to demonstrate effective application of knowledge gained based on improved clinical documentation.…”

Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Medication-Assisted Therapy Waiver Training for Students

“…3,6,9 The study is unique in examining the feasibility and impact of completing MAT waiver training during PA student rotations. Three recent studies [11][12][13] from the medical education literature report the positive impact of MAT waiver training on improving medical students' preparation to care for patients with SUD and OUD during clerkships, 12 although training is only 8 hours for medical students compared with 24 hours for PA students. 8 The study affirmed the hypothesis that completing online training during PA student rotations was feasible and would be associated with improved self-assessed competence and positive attitudes.…”

“…Themes were ranked according to frequency of occurrence. The major themes were: need more preparation and interaction with materials (9 comments), desire more flexibility in delivery platform (12), and contrasting views about relevance to future practice (5). Table 3 provides typical quotes associated with each theme.…”

Medication for opioid use disorder in rural America: A review of the literature.

“…Medical schools are starting to incorporate this into their curriculum through grants or free training programs. Lien et al (2021) found that utilizing the Providers Clinical Support System’s (PCSS) 8-hr online training program allows schools to provide training and assessment for no cost, demonstrated with 300 students in their third year of medical school. The results showed increased confidence and knowledge in OUD and prescribing buprenorphine.…”