Addressing Opioid Misuse and Abuse through Interprofessional Engagement and Education: A Case Study of One University's Experience

Purpose: The purpose of this initiative was to develop and implement an interprofessional (IP) panel aimed at exposing a university audience to the magnitude of opioid misuse and abuse, as well as demonstrating each health professional's role in curbing the epidemic. This experience was to provide a platform for IP discussion and to share with attendees tangible action items to begin combatting the opioid epidemic. Methods: An interdisciplinary committee of healthcare professionals collaborated to initiate a dialogue around opioid misuse and abuse to highlight the power of IP collaboration in addressing this epidemic. Each panel member shared a personal vignette about his or her professional experience with the epidemic, then the audience members were asked to participate in a question and answer session. Primary outcomes from this IP experience were derived from an eight-item satisfaction survey. Results: Forty-four participants (63%) completed the satisfaction survey of which 88.6% were students of healthcare professions. The satisfaction survey evaluative results were positive and referenced the panel as being an excellent IP event that was helpful, informative, and enjoyable. The results support that the initiative successfully increased understanding of the magnitude of the opioid epidemic for the attendees of this pilot event. The target audience of students expressed a greater awareness of the magnitude of the problem (43.2%) and an increased appreciation of the IP aspects of opioid management strategies (36.4%). Attendees also identified the need for ownership of their role as existing and future health care professionals and the need to work as an IP team to address the problem. Conclusion: An IP panel format as an optional extracurricular event is an effective way to communicate key educational messages about opioid misuse and abuse to a target audience of graduate students at a mid-sized college of health professions.