Opioid Overdose Recognition: A Survey of Perceived Preparedness and Desire for Curricular Integration Among Current US Medical Students

Abstract

OBJECTIVES Opioid overdose deaths remain a major health issue in the United States (US). As future physicians, medical students must receive comprehensive training to recognize and manage opioid overdoses. This study aimed to highlight training gaps at the medical student level and understand students’ attitudes toward patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). METHODS We assessed baseline knowledge of and attitudes toward the management of opioid overdoses and naloxone administration among medical students in the US. Two validated survey tools (Opioid Overdose Knowledge Scale and Opioid Overdose Attitude Scale) were administered to medical students training at accredited institutions along with supplemental questions measuring knowledge and attitudes towards opioid overdose management, naloxone administration, and prior training. RESULTS The final sample had N = 73 participants from US medical schools with a mean age of 25.3 (range of 22–37): 72.6% of respondents were female. Although most respondents reported personal/professional experience with OUD before medical school, they expressed interest in additional training. Knowledge surrounding opioid overdoses increased insignificantly over the 4 years of medical school. However, there was a significant increase in both perceived competence in overdose recognition/management and in concerns about intervening from the first to fourth year of medical school. Female respondents had significantly lower perceived competence and readiness to intervene sub-scores than male counterparts; however, there was no significant difference in overall attitude and knowledge scores when stratified by sex. Incorporating opioid overdose prevention training (OOPT) into early medical education was favorable among respondents, who expressed an overwhelming interest in learning and supporting patients with OUD. CONCLUSIONS Given the ongoing opioid crisis, medical students are ideally placed to identify and manage opioid overdoses. Medical students are ready to receive this training, thus strengthening the argument for OOPT integration into early medical student curricula.