Developing a National UGME Pain Management and Substance Use Disorder Curriculum to Address the Opioid Crisis: A Program Evaluation Pilot Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Pain is one of the most common reasons for adults to seek health care, yet educational program focused on pain are often underrepresented in medical school curricula. In January 2021, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) launched an online national, bilingual, competency-based curriculum for undergraduate medical (UGME) students in pain management and substance use in response to the opioid crisis to bridge the content gaps in programs across Canada. The purpose of this study is to evaluation the pilot of this national curriculum. Methods Undergraduate medical education students (n = 168) from across Canada participated in the program evaluation of a pilot which ran from September to November 2020. Participants completed online pre- and post-program surveys that assessed the influence of the curriculum on participants’ knowledge as well as the value, usability, and feasibility of this curriculum. Results Participants’ perceived confidence their new knowledge and in utilizing resources required to maintain their knowledge significantly increased (75% and 51% respectively). Their perceived knowledge that addressed the 72 learning objectives within the curriculum significantly increased from pre- to post-program. Over 90% of participants reported that the was valuable, feasible, and usable. The most frequently discussed program strengths were the clear and comprehensive content, interactive and well-organized design, and relevance of curriculum content for future clinical practice. The overall weakness of the curriculum included the length, repetition of content, the lack of clarity and relevance of the assessment questions, end-user technology issues, and French translation discrepancies. Participant’s recommendations for improving the curriculum included streamlining content, addressing technology issues, and enhancing the clarity and relevance of assessment questions embedded within each of the modules. Conclusion Participants agreed that an online pain management and substance use curriculum is a valuable, usable, and feasible learning opportunity. Given the severity of the opioid crisis in Canada, these online modules provide a curriculum that can be integrated into existing UGME programs or can provide self-directed learning.