Curriculum Model, Course Development, and Evaluation of Substance Misuse Education for Health Care Professionals

Several national and international reports and positional papers from professional organizations worldwide have highlighted the urgent need to develop education and training courses for nurses and other health care professionals in substance misuse and addictive behavior at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition, the development of courses, both in quantity and quality, in selected centers has not matched the corresponding growth of drug and alcohol related problems. This paper describes the development of a multi-professional course for non-addictions specialists leading to a Certificate in Substance Misuse in England. It aims to examine the value of the Beattie Curriculum Model in the development of an educational program in the management of substance misusers. Two evaluative instruments were tested for their psychometric properties and used to evaluate the efficacy and success of the program. Preliminary evaluations of the course suggest that aims of the course were met and that there was among participants an increase in confidence in working with substance misusers.