PHARM 3012 - Assessment and Treatment of Addiction
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2020
-
General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code PHARM 3012 Course Assessment and Treatment of Addiction Coordinating Unit Medical Studies 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:
Associate Professor Linda Gowing
Dr Abdallah Salem
DASSA Principal Research Officer (Evidence-Based Practice)
Associate Professor, Discipline of Pharmacology
linda.gowing@adelaide.edu.au
Head of Discipline Pharmacology
abdallah.salem@adelaide.edu.auCourse Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
-
Learning Outcomes
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) Deep discipline knowledge
- informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
- acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
- accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
1-7 Critical thinking and problem solving
- steeped in research methods and rigor
- based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
- demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
9 Teamwork and communication skills
- developed from, with, and via the SGDE
- honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
- encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
1,5 Career and leadership readiness
- technology savvy
- professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
- forward thinking and well informed
- tested and validated by work based experiences
1,3,5,9 Intercultural and ethical competency
- adept at operating in other cultures
- comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
- able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
- demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
5,6,8 Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
- open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
- able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
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, ISBN9781138227576Online 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 Activities
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
session2
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, barriersPrevention 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 comorbidities11
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 -
Assessment
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 OUTCOME(S)
Weekly online quizzes
Formative
0%
1-8
3x Online test
Summative
15%
1-8
Workshop participation
Summative
15%
1-8
Presentation
Summative
10%
2,3,,5-9
Assignment
Summative
25%
1-9
End of semester test
Summative
35%
1-8
Modified arrangements have been made to assessments and the details provided here reflect recent updates:
removal of final exam; adjusted mark allocations:
online assignments 15%
workshop participation 15%
presentations 10%
assignment 25%
end of semester test 35%.Assessment Detail
Weekly online quizzes (0%) - students will have
access to weekly online quizzes to test their understanding of the topics.
Online tests (15%) - students will sit three online content tests (assessment, types of treatment, recovery) of 5% each to test their
understanding of the content.
Workshop participation (15%) - student attendance and participation will contribute to 15% of the grade.
Assignment (25%) – 1000 words critical appraisal of paper on an aspect of treatment
Presentation (10%) - 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.
End of semester test (35%) - Online test - cover course content from weeks 1-11
Note: Modified arrangements have been made to assessments (see end of Assessment Summary section)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 Access Adelaide.
-
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
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- International Student Support
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
- YouX Student Care - Advocacy, confidential counselling, welfare support and advice
-
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Elder Conservatorium of Music Noise Management Plan
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
-
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’s disciplinary procedures.
The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.