Prepare for Future Doctors to Resolve Teen Overdose Crisis: Calls for Course Integration
Despite a sharp increase in opioid overdose in adolescents, there is underrepresentation in pediatric medical education to prevent overdose. Medical schools provide a critical window to embed this critical form of prevention by deliberately training future physicians.
In a first national survey, Nitin Vidyasagar and colleagues conducted a national cross-sectional survey that evaluated American pediatric civilians to include opioid prevention education. Of the 85 academic institutions surveyed, they found that only 63% included discussing any strategies to prevent overeducation; less than 10% provided guidance on opioid use disorder drugs (MOUD); and less than 5% were naloxone or fentanyl test kits. This study highlights a major opportunity to better arm future physicians, both with knowledge and practical skills, and to prevent overdose among adolescents.
This study is particularly urgent given the widespread spread of illicit fentanyl, which amplifies the U.S. overdose crisis. Between 2019 and 2021, the overall mortality rate of teenagers rose by 109%, including a 182% increase in deaths involving illicit fentanyl. Similarly, pediatric opioid-related hospitalizations have increased significantly over the past two decades.
These trends are particularly concerning given the decline in deaths from overdose deaths in adolescents. Despite these trends, routine clinical encounters with adolescents remain an untapped intervention point. Given the scale of the pediatric overdose crisis, medical students must receive early, consistent training to understand how to screen for drug use and overdose prevention during pediatric encounters.
To support the integration of excessive prevention content into pediatric pastoral curriculum, it will be beneficial for American medical schools to begin training students in preclinical and clerical years to prevent excessive education. Preclinical courses can benefit from the training encountered by inclusion of standardized patients to train students to screen for drug use, assess the risk of overdose, and provide injury-reducing counseling. It has been shown that preventing overdose in simulation-based activities can improve their clinical documentation skills, motivational interviewing abilities, knowledge of harm reduction, and the use of non-recognition language surrounding opioid use disorder (OUD).
Integrating opioid overdose prevention into clinical learning during a pastor provides a pragmatic strategy. University of California, San Francisco provides a compelling model through it Training on the treatment of opioid use disorders course. The program was piloted during the pediatric staff, combining doctrinal meetings on harm reduction, aimed at simulations focusing on effective consultations for adolescents using substances and hands-on training in naloxone administration. Through lectures and group discussions, the course enables medical and nursing students to collaborate on analyzing real cases, thus facilitating an interprofessional approach to addictive care. The assessment shows that students have greater confidence and compassion for managing patients with drug use disorders. By equipping medical students with these skills as early as possible and strengthening them vertically during medical training, medical education can play a crucial role in preparing future physicians to effectively respond to the crisis of opioid overdose crisis in adolescents.
With the increase in opioid overdoses in the adolescent and youth populations, classrooms may become a critical environment for prevention. By embedding education into pediatric staff and beyond, it will provide future physicians with tools to detect risks, early intervention and practice medicine, not just treatment, but also preventable.
Photo: Medicalrf.com, Getty Images
Imeth Illamperuma is an undergraduate student at McMaster University, with a certificate in researching kinesiology, assisted psychology and rehabilitation science. He has extensive experience in public health research and policy advocacy, drawing experience from Stanford University, the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and McMaster University. His work focuses on numerous topics including injury reduction, mental health, and integration of artificial intelligence in clinical decision-making. His work is based on a commitment to preventive health care and health equity, guided by research that drives real-world impacts. Imeth is the founder and president of Shield and the founder of Naloxone Project, one of Canada’s largest student-led emergency Naloxone implementation and advocacy programs.
Suhanee Mitragotri is an upcoming medical student at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and graduated from Harvard University, where she studied neuroscience at the Global Health and Health Policy Middle School. She is also the co-founder of the Naloxone Education Program, which aims to expand opioid and naloxone education to youth. She has written about topics related to the opioid crisis, harm reduction and drug policy and has published articles in a variety of journals and magazines, including the Lancet Regional Health America, Addiction, Frontiers in Health Affairs, The Boston Globe and New Scientist.
David T. His research focuses on drug use disorders, drug ePidemiology, social determinants of health and health. His work has been published in major journals including the Lancet, the Lancet Regional Health America, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Network Open, JAMA Psychiatry, Nature Scientific Reports, BMJ Journal of Injury Prevention and Injury Reduction. David’s contribution to addressing the overdose crisis has been recognized by several foundations, including the Diana Award, the Boston Public Health Conference Public Health Under 40 Public Health Under 40, the National Forum on the Quality of Minority Under 40, and the Public Health Service Award for Excellence.
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