PHARM 3012 - Assessment and Treatment of Addiction

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2023

This course will help you understand pathways from dependence to recovery and how we match the treatment to the patient's goals. First we will look at how we can identify risky use and intervene early. An extensive range of treatments is available to support people with moderate to severe dependence, depending on their goals. Some treatments will address physical dependence, while others focus on psychological factors and reintegration into the community. We will review the range of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments that can be used to support people to manage withdrawal and prevent relapse. Evidence-base of treatments, policy options and public health approaches will be reviewed. Population groups with special needs, and the rationale for addressing those special needs, will be discussed. The treatment of comorbidities, particularly mental health and substance use disorders, is an important example of special needs that will be addressed in some detail. Hurdles to access treatment will be reviewed as well as, the place of systematic reviews and guidelines in promoting the translation of evidence into practice.

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Course Details

Course Code	PHARM 3012
Course	Assessment and Treatment of Addiction
Coordinating Unit	Medical Sciences
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 5 hours per week.
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	HLTH SC 2104 or MEDIC ST 1000B
Assumed Knowledge	HLTH SC 2104 and PHARM 3101
Assessment	Online quizzes, oral presentation, assignment and exam.

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Abdallah Salem

Course coordinators:

Dr Abdallah Salem

abdallah.salem@adelaide.edu.au

Dr Andrea Gordon
andrea.gordon@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Describe the use of tools for screening and assessment of addiction
2	Identify broad types of intervention for the treatment of addiction, and their aims
3	Demonstrate understanding of the complexity of recovery from addiction and the place of different treatments in it
4	Identify the conditions that are most likely to occur as comorbidities with addiction
5.	Discuss the differing perspectives of treatment providers, patients, families and government
6.	Identify the main factors that might be used to tailor treatment approaches to the individual
7.	Identify major outcomes that might be used to assess progress in treatment
8.	Identify current directions in addiction treatment
9.	Demonstrate skills in critical appraisal of information relating to the treatment of addiction

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1-7
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	9
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	1,5
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	1,3,5,9
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	5,6,8
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	3,5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Relevent textbook and other resources including journal papers to be advised as part of lecture handouts.

Recommended Resources

G. Hussein Rassool, Alcohol and Drug Misuse. A Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals, 2nd Edition 2018
Routledge, ISBN9781138227576

Online Learning

Online resources will be used extensively to help with both bridging and extending students. We will offer interactive tools on drugs, case studies and perspectives from professionals. We will also use video or lecture material from local and international experts to provide a rich learning experience.

Learning & Teaching Modes

In this course we will use interactive lectures and online resources to provide the students with new material to increase their understanding of the topic. The workshops will be used to discuss the nuances in smaller groups such as looking at life trajectories and lived experiences and help them to discuss issues in a professional and culturally sensitive way. We feel it is important to help students understand the human angle, show the stories behind the people with addiction to help them understand life trajectories.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The total weekly workload for this course is 12 hours per week with a contact time upto 5 hours per week;

Learning Activities Summary

Week	Lecture	Lecture	Tutorial and Workshop
1	Identifying addiction Key features of addiction (overview of biological basis, ICD & DSM criteria). What do we know about addiction and comorbidity at population level?	Introduction to case studies Presentation of information on the case studies that will be discussed at several points during the course.	Course information session
2	The recovery journey What is recovery? Stakeholder perspectives; implications of biological adaptations.	The recovery journey Context of treatment, diversity of needs, matching treatment to needs and stage of recovery. Introduce role of comorbidities.	Exploring the case studies Small group work, identifying why the cases might be addicted, or at risk of addiction, contexts in which addictive behaviour might be identified.
3	Prevention and early intervention Concepts of primary and secondary prevention, screening, settings, barriers	Prevention and early intervention What strategies have been used in Australia for prevention of use and harm reduction for alcohol and tobacco, with what effect?	Case studies in recovery What might recovery look like for each of the cases? What issues might need to be addressed to aid recovery? What strengths and weaknesses are there toconsider?
4	Psychosocial interventions Overview of types of psychosocial interventions, brief compared to structured interventions, introduction to stages of change.	Brief intervention Overview of research evidence about effectiveness of brief interventions	Prevention and early intervention Case study of smoking: where do e-cigarettes fit?
5	Managing withdrawal Aims, setting, role of medications, complications, adjunct therapies.	Managing withdrawal Case studies using real-life scenarios to expand on principles. How to choose optimal treatment and setting based on existing comorbidities.	Brief intervention Case studies of assessment with the ASSIST, linked to brief intervention in different settings.
6	Relapse prevention Defining relapse; biological basis and triggers for relapse; implications for relapse prevention strategies. ncreasing resilience	Relapse prevention: Substitution treatment Principles, current status, why it is relapse prevention and not maintenance of addiction. Risk of not treating comorbidities	Managing withdrawal Group work – review of withdrawal syndromes by drug class, and treatment responses with consideration of settings in which withdrawal might occur.
7	Support, living skills and community care Rationale for support services, types of services (including self-help), why they work and for whom.	Support, living skills and community care. Overview of therapeutic community approach, evidence of effectiveness, limitations of research evidence.	Relapse prevention Case study of naltrexone – principles and effectiveness in treatment of alcohol or opioid dependence, interaction with psychosocial support.
8	Supporting special populations What defines “special populations”? Special services or coordination to meet special needs?	Supporting special populations Examples: Correctional services, indigenous, adolescents, pregnancy, families	Support, living skills and community care. Return to case studies: what sort of support might these people need? Where do self-help options fit in?
9	Treatment of comorbidities Association between substance use and mental health problems – extent, and cause and effect, including substance-induced psychosis. Treatment responses to treat comorbid anxiety, depression and other common comorbidities.	Treatment of comorbidities: Managing care Principles of responding to both mental health and substance use disorders. Service delivery challenges and approaches.	Presentations Student presentations (10% of overall grade), on addiction issues focusing on one of the special populations.
10	Public Health and policy responses Australian and international framework for responding to alcohol and other drug use. How can policy support treatment of comorbidity?	Public Health and policy responses Injecting drug use as case study of public health response and harm-reduction approach	Treatment of comorbidity Workshop on promoting behavioural change in context of mental health comorbidities
11	Promoting engagement in treatment Realistic goals and expectations. Specialist or primary care setting? Stigma. Role of coerced and mandatory treatment. Australian issues (access, distance, costs).	Balancing expectations Australian experience of heroin prescription, rapid detox, and naltrexone, as an example of how addiction policy needs to balance public expectation with the biological realities of addiction.	Public health and policy responses If cannabis were legalised, what public health and policy responses might be appropriate?
12	Advances in treatment of addiction Current trends in addiction that the treatment system needs to respond to (prescription opioids, naloxone for overdose prevention, novel substances, regulatory controls in the internet era, treatment of hepatitis C and HIV).	Advances in treatment of addiction How might addiction treatment develop: genetics and personalised treatment; adapting to individual strengths and needs; e-interventions.	Feedback session Course overview and exam preparation

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Course Learning Outcomes
Weekly online quizzes	Formative	0%	1 - 8
3 x Online test	Summative	30%	1 - 8
Workshop participation	Summative	15%	1 - 8
Presentation	Summative	10%	2, 3, 5 - 9
Exam	Summative	45%	1 - 8

Assessment Detail

Weekly online quizzes - students will have access to weekly online quizzes to test their understanding of the topics.

Online tests - students will sit three online content tests (assessment, types of treatment, recovery) to test their
understanding of the content.

Workshop participation- student attendance and participation.

Presentation - groups of students will be asked to research one aspect of the treatment of addictions and present the significance of their topic to translation of knowledge into practice.

Exam - Exam covers course content from weeks 1-11

Submission

The majority of tasks will be submission through MyUni.

Late submissions of any student work are not acceptable. Coursework received after the deadline will be penalised as follows:10% of total available points will be penalised per day (24 hour period or fraction thereof). An automatic zero mark will be applied after 7 days.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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