Impact of Interprofessional Education on Health Professional Student Knowledge and Stigmatizing Beliefs Related to Substance Use Disorders: A Pre–Post Analysis

ABSTRACT Background The opioid crisis remains a significant public health concern in the United States, with escalating rates of overdose and poisoning. However, health care professional schools have limited curricular time to address this issue. In response, faculty at Roseman University and Touro University have developed an Interprofessional Education (IPE) annual event to improve student understanding and comfort levels in addressing substance use disorder (SUD) and reduce stigma toward SUD among health care professional students. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a SUD‐focused IPE education among health care professional students on stigma levels and comfort levels in addressing SUD with persons with SUD. Methods An anonymous cross‐sectional study was conducted using pre‐ and post‐IPE surveys in Qualtrics. In 2023 and 2025, IPE students from four health care programs (Pharm.D., BSN, PA, and DO) were invited to complete surveys rating their comfort level with speaking about naloxone and familiarity with community resources. Students also answered the Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS) survey to determine their level of stigma related to SUD. Pre‐ and post‐IPE results were compared from year to year and by program. Results Over 430 health care professional students participated in the SUD‐focused IPE events. All survey response rates were over 50%. Over 60% of respondents were female, and PA and Pharm.D. were the most represented programs. In both years, all programs reported increased comfort in counseling and initiating conversations about naloxone and familiarity with community resources for SUD. There was an increase in MCRS scores for all programs, indicating reduced stigma ( p < 0.001). Conclusion IPE continues to be a great opportunity to impact future health professionals' comfort levels in initiating critical conversations surrounding substance use, providing overdose prevention counseling, and increasing awareness of community resources, all while significantly reducing stigma.