Thursday, February 20, 2025
In December 2024, The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth completed a six-month pilot project with the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises Pilot Project, an initiative focused on advancing substance use care, workforce competency and interprofessional education and practice. Findings reinforce the importance of the university’s interprofessional pain management course with the majority of participating health professionals agreeing to integrate new strategies into their practices.
UNTHSC was one of 16 pilot sites selected nationwide. Led by its Department of Continuing Education and Assessment in the Division of Academic Innovation, the project was recognized as an exemplary site for its innovative approach. The team traveled to NAM in Washington, D.C., where representatives from all sites, along with leaders in health professions education and health care delivery and policy, convened to share knowledge and outcomes.
Project Leads:
- Ericka Harden-Dews, J.D., CHCP, director
- Sujita Adhikari, MPH, CPH, senior program manager
- Brenda Wilson, MS, CHCP, senior instructional designer
Addressing the urgent need for competency-based education
According to NAM, an estimated 260 Americans lose their lives to drug-related overdose every day. Recognizing the critical role that health professionals play in combatting these crises, members of the Action Collaborative authored a special publication in 2021, Educating Together, Improving Together: Harmonizing Interprofessional Approaches to Address the Opioid Epidemic, identifying the need to establish minimum core competencies for health care professionals in pain management and substance use care. In 2022, they published the 3Cs Framework for Pain and Unhealthy Substance Use, which sets the standard for the minimum level of competence in pain management and substance use care expected from all health professionals while also strengthening the delivery of coordinated, high-quality, person-centered care.
The project was designed to gain insights on the varied applications of the 3Cs Framework. This includes the feasibility and utility of implementation processes to improve health professional competency across the learning continuum and a diversity of interprofessional education and practice settings.
“After conducting an environmental scan of other accredited continuing education in our region focused on SUD and OUD prevention and treatment, our team identified that there was very little interprofessional continuing education that encourages health care teams to look beyond the biology and into the psychological and social factors that may be contributing to their patients’ pain,” Harden-Dews said.
HSC’s pilot project approach and findings
UNTHSC’s pilot project integrated the 3Cs Framework into two educational components. One was its existing online accredited course, Social Determinants of Health and Pain Management. The other was four live, interprofessional group discussions covering topics such as pain psychology, trauma-informed care and complementary therapies. Both components featured subject matter expert insights and real-life patient narratives, emphasizing reflective learning by making “commitments to change” as a key construct in instructional design strategy.
“We were honored to participate in this meaningful pilot program,” Harden-Dews said. “Incorporating the 3Cs Framework into the design and evaluation of our pain management and OUD/SUD education proved instrumental in achieving impactful outcomes.”
Among the 126 participants who completed the online module:
- 87% “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they intended to incorporate new strategies into their practice.
- Common commitments to change included:
- Implementing non-prescription and multimodal pain management strategies
- Considering social determinants of health factors and barriers
- Emphasizing a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach
- Using patient-centered strategies
- Increasing patient education efforts
UNTHSC remains committed to expanding the impact of this initiative.
“We will continue to refine our implementation strategy, utilizing the 3Cs Framework as a guidepost when working with faculty and subject matter experts. Our goal is to enhance content, broaden reach and maximize the effectiveness of this educational activity,” Harden-Dews said.
By integrating competency-based, interprofessional education into continuing professional development, HSC is advancing best practices in pain management and substance use care, improving patient outcomes and strengthening the health care workforce’s ability to respond to the opioid crisis.
Full List of Implementation Sites:
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | Rosemont, Illinois
- Binghamton University | Binghamton, New York
- DC Fire and EMS | Washington, D.C.
- Drexel College of Medicine, Caring Together Program | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- El Rio Community Health Center | Tucson, Arizona
- Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton, Florida
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing | Baltimore, Maryland
- The Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio
- University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, Alabama
- University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona
- University of California, Los Angeles Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs | Los Angeles, California
- University of Florida, Office of Interprofessional Education | Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Orlando, Florida
- University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth | Fort Worth, Texas
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine/Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, Tennessee
- Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital | New York, New York
- The Wright Center for Community Health | Scranton, Pennsylvania
About the Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises
The Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises brings together key stakeholders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors
to proactively drive structural change by developing, curating, and implementing multi-sector
solutions and tools designed to reduce substance misuse and improve outcomes for individuals,
families, and communities affected by addiction.
From HSC Newsroom - Community by Susan Young