Educational Approaches to Prescribing Practices and Substance Abuse
- 1 October 1991
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
- Vol. 23 (4), 359-363
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1991.10471607
Abstract
The history of medical education in treating and prescribing for addictive disorders is primarily one of omission. This began to change in the 1970s, leading to positive developments in medical education; however, much still remains to be done. Training in writing prescriptions should cover four areas: (1) prescribing to prevent addiction; (2) prescribing for alcohol or other drug dependent patients: (3) prescribing for withdrawal from alcohol or other drugs; and (4) prescribing for patients in recovery from alcohol or other drug addiction. Other areas of importance to medical education are inappropriate prescribing practices, self-prescribing, and prescribing for dual diagnosis patients. Physicians need to know how to avoid becoming duped, dated, impaired or “script doctors.” The educational techniques used in attaining these goals emphasize adult, or andragogical, education, sequencing curricula over the years of medical school and residency training, utilizing a variety of instructional techniques, and evaluating the results after each educational unit. The use of clinical vignettes, patient management problems and simulated patients is recommended.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Substance Use Rates Among Medical Students and Resident PhysiciansPublished by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1991
- Drug Abuse in the United StatesPublished by American Medical Association (AMA) ,1991
- General practitioners' experiences of patients with drug and alcohol problemsBritish Journal of Addiction, 1991
- Undergraduate Medical School Training in Psychoactive Drugs and Rational Prescribing in the United KingdomBritish Journal of Addiction, 1989
- The identification and management of drug-seeking behavior in a medical centerDrug and Alcohol Dependence, 1989
- Considerations in Using Psychotropic Medication with Dual Diagnosis Patients in RecoveryJournal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1989
- Drug and Alcohol AbusePublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,1989
- Psychiatrists and the Treatment of Addictions: Perceptions and PracticesThe American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 1986
- Physician Attitudes and Prescribing Practices: A Focus on Minor TranquilizersJournal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1983
- Training Health Professionals in Substance Abuse: A ReviewInternational Journal of the Addictions, 1982