Scientific Poster Session III: Late-Breaking Original Research

Late Breaking Original Research
  Monday, November 13, 2023
  01:00 PM–02:30 PM

Abstract

Introduction: The opioid crisis remains a significant public health concern in the United States, despite effective treatment and recovery care options. Negative perceptions of healthcare professionals toward patients with substance use disorders (SUD) are common and well-documented to correlate with reduced quality and care access. To improve health equity, RUCOP and TU faculty designed and facilitated an Interprofessional Education (IPE) event using an interdisciplinary team to care for individuals with SUD.

Research Question or Hypothesis: The Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS) was used to assess anticipated reduction in stigma towards SUD, where higher scores indicate lower stigma.

Study Design: Anonymous cross-sectional study

Methods: PRE- and POST-IPE surveys, including the 11 MCRS items, were completed with Qualtrics. Using a 6-point Likert scale for each question, scores were compared PRE- and POST-IPE training and by program, using SPSS v29 (alpha set to 0.05).

Results:

In 2023, 257 healthcare students attended the IPE, with 184 (71.6%) completing the PRE- and 172 (66.9%) completing the POST-IPE survey. Mean age was 28 years, 60% were female, and 38% were pharmacy, 33% physician assistant (PA), 15% nursing (BSN), and 14% doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) students.

Mean MCRS overall was 48.3 PRE-IPE compared to 52.2 POST-IPE (mean difference 3.87; 95% CI, 2.14 – 5.61; p < 0.01). At baseline, pharmacy students reported higher MCRS (51.5) than both BSN (45.7) and PA (46.8) students, but no difference with DO (47.4) students. With respect to POST-IPE results, MCRS continued to remain highest in pharmacy students (54.4) than other programs (BSN 51.6, PA 50.3, DO 50.9), however, this was not statistically significant (p = 0.053).

Conclusion:

Overall, the IPE was successful in reducing stigma as demonstrated by increased MCRS scores from baseline. Pharmacy students show lowest level of stigma both before and after IPE training, supporting their inclusion in an interdisciplinary team, to reduce stigma and improve patient-centered care.

Presenting Author

Krystal KC Riccio PharmD, BCACP, CDCES
Roseman University of Health Sciences

Authors

Alana Whittaker PharmD, BCPS, BCGP
Roseman University of Health Sciences