Brief Training on Medication-Assisted Treatment Improves Community Mental Health Clinicians' Confidence and Readiness to Address Substance Use Disorders

Mental Health Nurses' Attitudes on Consumers with Dual Diagnosis: A Thematic Analysis

BACKGROUND

The issue of dual diagnosis continues to be a global health concern. There is a lack of empirical research on mental health nurses' attitudes toward consumers with dual diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to answer the following research question: How do mental health nurses describe their attitude toward consumers with co-existing mental health and drug and alcohol problems?

DESIGN

This qualitative study employed purposive sampling to recruit participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore mental health nurses' attitudes toward consumers with dual diagnosis.

SETTING

This study focused on mental health nurses employed in mental health settings. It placed a particular emphasis on mental health nurses who had experience in caring for consumers with dual diagnosis. Seventeen mental health nurses participated in the interview.

METHODS

Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using NVivo™ 12 Plus software. Thematic analysis was used to generate codes and themes inductively.

RESULTS

Three major themes with a total of eight sub-themes were identified: (1) satisfaction and connection, with three subthemes; (2) combating negativity in others, with two subthemes; and (3) working to improve outcomes, with three subthemes.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants were concerned about their peers' sense of fear and frustration, stigmatized language, and lack of consistency in providing dual diagnosis training for mental health nurses. There is a need to investigate effective strategies to address mental health nurses' stigmatized attitudes, fear, and frustration toward consumers with dual diagnosis.

Medication-assisted treatment 24-hr waiver training for opioid use disorder: Lessons learned

ABSTRACT

This study reports our experience in implementing and evaluating medication-assisted treatment (MAT) training. MAT training includes immersion into practice and integration of treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). During 2019-2021, MAT training was offered to students in Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. Feedback on our training program was obtained through required Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services surveys and focus groups after training sessions to assess the quality of training, materials, instruction, and impact and usefulness of training. In addition, after completion of training, surveys were emailed to those who graduated in 2020 and 2021. Surveys included demographic questions and qualitative responses to assess MAT training quality, clinical application time, and how comfortable graduates felt regarding their knowledge, skills, and attitude toward treatment. Integrating training modules from the beginning of the nursing program over several semesters facilitating students with multiple exposures to training materials and offering clinical experiences solidified students' knowledge into practice. Most students were satisfied with the training and felt the training was effective in integrating new knowledge related to MAT. More importantly, it improved students' negative attitudes toward people with OUD and students' desire to pursue being an OUD MAT provider after graduation. The continued assessment and curriculum development of MAT training in nursing programs is crucial in fighting the opioid overdose epidemic. This expansion in interested MAT providers may contribute to improving access for underserved patients seeking MAT treatment with an increase in available providers.

Evidence-based Treatment for Substance Use Disorders in Community Mental Health Centers: the ACCESS Program

A significant gap remains in the availability and accessibility of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) in community substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. This study describes a 2-year statewide training initiative that sought to address this gap by training community-based therapists in motivational enhancement/cognitive behavioral therapy (MET/CBT). Therapists (N = 93) participated in a 2-day MET/CBT workshop followed by bi-weekly clinical consultation, fidelity monitoring, guided readings, and online resources. Therapists completed pre-training and follow-up assessments measuring knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and implementation barriers. Most therapists attended 10 or more consultation calls. Submission of session recordings for feedback was the least utilized training element. Therapists reported increased confidence in their ability to implement MET/CBT for SUD and demonstrated improvement in MI and CBT knowledge. Therapists reported several implementation barriers, including lack of time and opportunity to treat patients with MET/CBT. Recommendations for future training initiatives and addressing the barriers identified in this study are discussed.