Teaching the next generation of physicians: Evaluating addiction medicine curriculum interventions across two U.S. Medical schools

BACKGROUND: Over 48 million Americans were diagnosed with a substance use disorder in 2023. However, only 4.5% of individuals with addiction received treatment. To effectively treat people with substance use disorders, comprehensive addiction medicine education should be required in all medical schools. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an addiction medicine curriculum intervention across two universities. METHODS: < 0.05. RESULTS: There were 251 respondents. Significant within-group improvements were observed in seven of the ten questions. MSU showed significant change in seven questions, while USC showed significant change in four questions. Between-group comparisons showed that MSU and USC significantly differed on both pretest responses and post-test responses. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the addiction medicine curriculum did have an impact at both schools, but the differences need to be further studied.