Summary
The prevalence of drug and alcohol addiction, as well as the misuse of substances such as opioids, benzodiazepines, marijuana, methamphetamines and cocaine has increased over the past few years.
Addiction to these substances has detrimental effects on the physical and mental wellbeing of affected individuals, and often requires emergency treatment or admission to hospital.
Specialist expertise in the treatment and care of individuals experiencing addictions is rare with very few health professionals knowledgeable or specialised in that field. Healthcare staff now routinely encounter patients/service users experiencing addiction to multiple substances, within everyday healthcare settings.
Due to the scarcity of specialised addiction knowledge and expertise within the healthcare system, most staff are not equipped to provide optimum care to service users/patients experiencing addiction. Therefore, patients often do not receive care and support specific to their needs. Staff working under these conditions without the appropriate training, knowledge and skills are also at higher risk of work-related stress.
The aim of this programme is to bridge the knowledge gap in addiction treatment and care through empowering healthcare professionals to be confident in the assessment, diagnosis and intervention of substance use disorders. This fully online programme will run for 12 weeks and incudes lectures provided by national and international experts working in the field of addiction.
This programme was developed and accredited by RCSI's Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery in collaboration with Samantha Makiwa, Clinical Nurse Manager, Dublin Simon.