According to the Pan American Health Organization (2021), “drug use disorders are among the leading causes of premature mortality and disability.” The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reported that 37.309 million Americans used illegal drugs in 2020. Substance use disorders are often underdiagnosed and undertreated, as physicians often receive little training in recognizing and treating them. This trend underscores the urgency in increasing public health interventions and ensuring that physicians globally are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide adequate care and treatments for their patients.
The Addiction Training for Health Professionals (ATHP) program remains committed to preparing future physicians and healthcare professionals to treat and prevent substance use disorders. The Virtual Visiting Scholars Program is part of our continued efforts to educate and train physicians about substance use disorders. The program will provide a visiting scholar as a consultant to an under-resourced psychiatry residency program. The visiting scholar will engage program directors and faculty in evaluating the residency curriculum related to addiction and making recommendations to improve the addiction content.
Addiction is a complex disease that requires specialized knowledge and skills. Residency programs are well-positioned to provide technical and comprehensive training in various medical disciplines. By incorporating more addiction-related content into the curriculum, we can help ensure that more people receive the care they need and reduce the stigma often associated with this disease.
Physicians trained in addiction medicine are better equipped to provide comprehensive, evidence-based care to patients with this disease. Through our Visiting Scholar Program, we hope to make a real difference in the future of residency training by making training in substance use disorders a priority. Including adequate training in substance use disorders in residency programs is essential to combat and prevent addiction. Visit our website to learn more!
Reference List
National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. (2019b). NCDAS: Substance Abuse and Addiction Statistics [2020]. NCDAS; National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. https://drugabusestatistics.org/
Pan American Health Organization. (2021). The Burden of Drug Use Disorders – PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health Organization. Www.paho.org. https://www.paho.org/en/enlace/burden-drug-use-disorders
