|
|
Learning Objective:
Learning Objectives: By the end of the presentation participants will be able to:
1. Describe drug treatment staff training needs concerning hepatitis C (HCV).
2. Discuss the importance of training drug treatment staff HCV communication skills.
3. Describe the main features of a new curriculum developed to train drug treatment program staff about HCV.
Background:
Drug users are at high risk of becoming infected with the HCV. Thus, public health professionals are increasingly identifying drug treatment programs as important sites for addressing HCV. Staff in drug treatment programs can help their clients prevent, detect, and reduce the negative consequences of HCV because they are trained addiction specialists who interact frequently with clients. However, many staff state they need HCV training that includes current HCV information, as well as communication skills to intervene effectively with clients.
Setting:
Drug-free and methadone maintenance treatment programs in the U.S.
Population e.g. API Youth, MSM, IDU:
Drug treatment staff and administrators.
Project Description:
Staff are provided with a 6 hour HCV training that a) includes current information about the etiology and epidemiology of HCV, and b) training in how to effectively communicate with clients about HCV-related issues based on the principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI).
Results/Lessons Learned:
Participant training evaluations in the first 3 programs at which it was delivered were extremely positive. When asked to indicate the most important things they learned from the training, some staff said, “Factual information on hepatitis C,” “How serious the problem is,” “How much I didn't know,” and “I learned the value of encouraging the client to make a positive change to improve his/her health in terms of behavior motivation.
See more of H2 - Hepatitis Education Challenges in Substance Abuse Settings
See more of The 2005 National Viral Hepatitis Prevention Conference