Impact of brief educational intervention among medical students on knowledge regarding tobacco and alcohol use disorders

Background: Substance abuse is a major public health challenge across the globe. Medical professionals of all branches of medicine are very likely to encounter individuals with substance related health issues.Tobacco and alcohol use are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality world-wide. Both these habits can be reduced by brief clinical interventions that are highly cost-effective. Objective: To assess the impact of brief educational intervention on knowledge about management of tobacco and alcohol use disorders among medical students. Methodology: This educational interventional study was conducted among third year medical students during Community Medicine postings. The session was of three hours duration carried out by faculty from Department of Community Medicine and Psychiatry as part of integrated teaching. The session had two components, initially presentation by the faculty followed by role plays by the medical students on specific scenarios. The effectiveness was assessed using a pre-tested, structured, self-administered questionnaire to assess the knowledge regarding tobacco and alcohol use disorders at baseline and after the educational intervention. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in mean scores in both knowledge (p<.001) and perception regarding management of substance use (p<.001) after the educational intervention as compared to baseline scores. Also, 88% of students agreed that this integrated methodology helped them to improve their skills needed to counsel patients with substance use disorders Conclusion: Educational intervention with role play by students is an effective tool to influence the knowledge regarding tobacco and alcohol use disorders. Also, integrated teaching is well appreciated by the students as effective method for teaching on substance use disorders.