Today, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) launched free online courses to train health personnel in the detection and management of people with problems related to the use of alcohol and other drugs, as well as public policies to reduce the demand for both alcohol and drugs.
On the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, PAHO also presents two courses on public policies on alcohol and other substances
Washington, D.C., 26 June 2013 (PAHO/WHO)--Today, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) launched free online courses to train health personnel in the detection and management of people with problems related to the use of alcohol and other drugs, as well as public policies to reduce the demand for both alcohol and drugs.
These courses are available online for physicians and nurses, social workers, professionals who work with young people or in detention centers, among others, for the purpose of strengthening health sector response and introducing effective interventions into routine primary care. The training ranges from how to detect symptoms of alcohol or drug abuse to how to conduct a brief intervention and refer individuals to more extensive treatment. The public policy trainings cover the effectiveness of regulations on control of supply and demand, harm reduction, treatment, and health education.
These courses—four in Spanish and two in English—are available on the website of the Virtual Campus for Public Health— http://www.campusvirtualsp.org/?q=en. They are free of charge and are available on demand for individual study. In each course, most of the modules have an audio explanation, written course content, and reference materials, and some also have videos to demonstrate examples. Students take self-evaluations to advance from one module to the next.
Alcohol abuse is one of the primary risk factors for disease and disability in the Americas. In 2004, it was linked at least to 1.3% of all deaths in the region. However, in most countries, health systems do not routinely include questions on alcohol and drug use during health care, to be able to identify people with a current or potential risk of having problems.
"We need to increase our knowledge about how to professionally, effectively, and non-judgmentally assess alcohol and drug use," said Maristela Monteiro, PAHO/WHO's senior adviser on alcohol and substance abuse. "Resources for in-person training are limited. Online courses can help decision-makers, politicians, leaders, and civil society promote public policies that help to effectively reduce the impact that alcohol and other drugs have on our people," she added.
Two courses are for general health services, in primary care. One is based on WHO's ASSIST questionnaire on the use of alcohol, tobacco products, and other drugs. The other course covers the AUDIT questionnaire, also by WHO, which addresses alcohol use. Both courses have five modules and focus on providing health professionals with tools for assessment and then for conducting a brief intervention in primary health care centers and other services. They also provide training on how to include these questionnaires in routine health services. Furthermore, they end with two modules to teach participants to train others. Both trainings are offered only in Spanish.
These two courses were developed using materials from WHO and are based on interventions that have been proven effective in several countries in the world, among them Mexico and Brazil.
A third course, which is available in English and Spanish, consists of 14 modules that cover different aspects of public health policies regarding alcohol use. It focuses on epidemiology, the health impact, policies to control availability, price, marketing, the political arena, and commercial interests, as well as policies to change the context of consumption. It also deals with educational strategies, as well as treatment and early intervention.
The other course, in Spanish and English, offers a similar approach, but on the use of other drugs. This training describes the epidemiology of drug use, policies developed to reduce demand, prevention and treatment, and issues related to public health in drug control.
Countries in the region, including Guatemala, Peru, and Uruguay, have shown interest in adapting these trainings to offer them in-person with tutors, and to include them in an accreditation system for health professionals.
"These classes can be used in conjunction with other trainings to expand the base of knowledge about what works and the simple way these interventions can be integrated into the routines of primary care and other services," Monteiro explained.
The courses were developed with support from the National Plan on Drugs of Spain, the Department of Health of Canada (Health Canada), the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), experts, and collaborating centers, among others.
Contacts:
Leticia Linn, linnl@paho.org, Phone: +202-974-3440, Mobile: +1-202-701-4005; Donna Eberwine-Villagran, eberwind@paho.org, Phone: +1-202-974-3122, Mobile: +1-202-316-5469; Knowledge Management and Communication, PAHO/WHO—www.paho.org
