P3.017: Learning and Teaching Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction: A One Week Active Learning Curriculum for Pediatric Residents

Background: The majority of US adolescent substance use starts between ages 15 -17. The developing adolescent brain does not reach maturity until age 25, and is particularly susceptible to addiction. To effectively educate and counsel their patients, pediatricians need to be knowledgeable about substances of abuse, the neurobiology and epidemiology of adolescent addiction, non-opioid pain management, and local treatment and support services. We introduced a novel educational experience for pediatric residents to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to effectively address adolescent substance use and addiction.

Methods: All PL-3 residents (7-8 per year) participate in a required one-week active learning curriculum on adolescent addiction (Figure 1). It includes assigned reading, webinars, website review, attendance at a virtual teen Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting, presentation of interactive sessions at the local high school, and submission of a narrative reflection on what was learned. Submitted reflections were reviewed to identify the major themes addressed. Residents evaluate the experience at the end of the block rotation.

Results: 19 residents evaluated the rotation, with a mean rating of 4.7 on a 1-5 Likert scale. 24 residents submitted reflections (Figure 2). 75% reported increased awareness of addiction, including the opioid epidemic (46%) and effects on the developing brain (25%). 88% identified the importance of knowing available addiction services in the community, 50% the risks and protective factors for developing addiction and 46% the multifactorial influences on substance use disclosure. Increased knowledge of screening tools (42%), the importance of holistic, family-centered care (25%), evaluation for comorbidities (17%), and public access to naloxone (12%) were also reported. Cited highlights included realizing the need for empathetic care for those struggling with addiction (42%), participating in a virtual NA meeting (25%), and teaching high school students about addiction (21%). Concerns regarding the legalization of marijuana were raised by 21% of residents. Overall, they felt better prepared to screen for and prevent adolescent addiction (71%) and advocate at the policy level (13%).

Conclusion: This one week curriculum was well received by residents, and contributed to self-reported increased knowledge, stigma reduction, and enhanced comfort talking with teens about substance use and addiction. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an active learning, experiential curriculum to develop pediatrics residents’ competence in addressing this important problem, and could be readily adapted by other residency programs.