Online Primary Care Physician (PCP) Training in Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment

Fast Track SBIR Study Online PCP Training in Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment

This project seeks to develop a comprehensive, computer-based education program for primary care physicians that will improve their skills in structured substance abuse screening, brief interventions, and referral and treatment (SBIRT). The investigators will develop two online education programs based on virtual patient (VP) technology. One program will include five typical, interactive, problem-solving VPs and the second will include five identical VPs except that two VPs will have been "worked" by substance abuse experts and presented as case studies. The remaining three VPs will be "unworked" (typical VPs). The investigators hypothesize that both education programs will significantly improve educational outcomes, compared to no training, as measured by a validated survey tool. A secondary hypothesis is that physicians using the "worked" (guided learning) program will achieve similar educational results as those using the typical VP approach, but will require less training time.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Physician in primary care training program
• Faculty member in primary care training program

Exclusion Criteria:

• Advanced medical training in substance abuse management