NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse intends to conduct a study that would assess Web-based training as a method to help primary care physicians screen, treat and refer patients with substance misuse issues, according to a Federal Register notice posted on Tuesday, Modern Healthcare reports.
According to NIDA, up to 20% of primary care patients have a substance misuse issue, but less than one-third of physicians provide referrals for patients identified as having a substance misuse issue. In addition, few patients are screened by their physicians for substance misuse issues, according to NIDA.
About the Study
If approved, the study's researchers would assign participating physicians to:
- A control group, which would receive online reading literature; or
- A study group, which would complete interactive online training (McKinney, Modern Healthcare, 5/24).