The Alcohol Curriculum Project from CAMH and McMaster
There is wide consensus among medical educators that many students are poorly prepared to manage substance use issues once they are in practice. This new Alcohol Curriculum Project (addictions.machealth.ca) — a collaborative effort between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and educators at McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine — is now providing a free, non-industry biased, set of curriculum to help prepare students and new physicians to identify and manage challenging alcohol-related issues.
What Does the Curriculum Cover?
The curriculum, available for free at addictions.machealth.ca contains a growing suite of e-learning modules. Tightly linked to best practices followed by CAMH and with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's leading approach to managing alcohol problems, the modules include information on Canada's low-risk drinking guidelines, at-risk drinking, alcohol dependence, alcohol withdrawal, effective pharmacotherapies and complications associated with problematic alcohol use.
The self-directed online education resources that are currently available include:
- At-Risk Drinking e-learning module
- Alcohol and Major Depression e-learning module [coming soon!]
- Tutorial problems and tutor guides
- Supporting links to the CAMH–St. Joseph's Health Centre (Toronto) Addiction Toolkit.
How Can I Use the Curriculum?
This innovative and up-to-date curriculum features case-based tutorial problems and detailed tutor guides. To further support students, educators and clinicians in practice, the CAMH–McMaster collaboration will soon launch a mobile device application with concise information on the identification and management of alcohol use disorders.
Using a Creative Commons License, curriculum planners and students can access this curriculum at no cost. Instructors can work with the CAMH–McMaster team to customize the material, ensuring that it is relevant for students.
Who Are We?
Experts who worked on this project include:
Anthony J. Levinson, McMaster University
Sarah Garside, McMaster University
Mark Rhyno, McMaster University
Michael DeVillaer, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, McMaster University
Peter Selby, University of Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Debbie Ernest, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Mahreen Hasan, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Andrew Johnson, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
For further information about the Alcohol Curriculum CAMH and McMaster University contact Andrew Johnson, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (416 535.8501 ext. 6664, andrew.johnson@camh.ca) or Jodie Bousfield, McMaster University (905 525.9140 ext. 22423).