Workforce, Day 2, Track 2, 14:00-15:30

Presented as part of the Uniting the global community to face the challenge of addiction event, in-person on 13th May, 2022

Presentations:

• The Development of Drug Demand Reduction Curricula in Training Institutes in South Africa - Dr. Lameze Abrahams
• STCM / USAS Collaboration in Development of Education Program at Universities in Malaysia and Pakistan - Zall Kepli MD Rejab
• Addictology Journal and ISSUP - Rasha Abi Hana and Prof. Michal Miovský, MA, PhD 
• ISAM Certification: 16 Years Chronology and Future Considerations - Nady el-Guebaly, C.M., MD, DPsych, DPH, FRCPC, DABAM, CISAM, DLFAPA, EFACP, FASAM, DFCPA

Abstracts:

• The Development of Drug Demand Reduction Curricula in Training Institutes in South Africa - Dr. Lameze Abrahams

Despite the high prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) and substance related problems in South Africa, the country does not have adequately trained health professionals to address the burden of SUDs. This has an impact on the availability of access to the ever-growing need for SUD services. South Africa also does not currently have a category for professional registration as addiction specialist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa. To address the need for addiction professionals, our vision for DDR (as part of the ICUDDR) in South Africa is building a network of universities and other training institutes across all nine provinces in the country, to implement DDR programs into the academic curricula. Hence, this paper will focus on the development and implementation of evidence-based DDR curricula in South African training institutes focusing on students who are enrolled in undergraduate and post graduate studies in Psychology (Bachelor of Psychology, Honours in Psychology, Clinical Masters in Psychology and Intern Clinical Psychologists).
By introducing the DDR curricula into training institutes the aim is to professionalise the addiction workforce by ensuring that students and addiction professionals are adequately trained according to the core competencies required for addiction professionals in South Africa.

• STCM / USAS Collaboration in Development of Education Program at Universities in Malaysia and Pakistan - Zall Kepli MD Rejab

Malaysian experienced phases of values change in perceptions and attitudes toward substance users - from disobedient, wayward, criminal, to sick people who need proper medical and psychological support. Treatment modalities change from a “tough and rugged” to spiritual, psychosocial / therapeutic community, and here we come with evident-based approach. In 2016, there was only one UTC-based education program held in Malaysia, the Postgraduate Diploma in Addiction Science (PGDAS), at University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS), but the program ended for good in 2019. We like to share STCM’s experiences seeking collaboration with universities to revive the UTC-based education program at the higher education institutions in Malaysia and Pakistan. On the base of two years need assessment STCM is launching online/in-person degree programs in drug demand reduction.

• Addictology Journal and ISSUP - Rasha Abi Hana and Prof. Michal Miovský, MA, PhD 

• ISAM Certification: 16 Years Chronology and Future Considerations - Nady el-Guebaly, C.M., MD, DPsych, DPH, FRCPC, DABAM, CISAM, DLFAPA, EFACP, FASAM, DFCPA

Since 2005, ISAM has provided a multiple choice examination to physicians practicing Addiction Medicine. 

Dr. el-Guebaly will present lessons learned, including:

1. Design of optimally diverse multiple choice questions in ten sections.
2. Selection of credible item options.
3. Analysis of questions’ discriminative quality.
4. Post-exam psychometric analyses.
5. Process costs and selection of references.
6. Administration safety and security considerations.
7. Maintenance of pool of questions.