Key points
The Addiction Medicine Toolkit is designed to provide an introductory overview of addiction medicine for clinicians and provide strategies that can be implemented in your practice. CDC and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) have additional resources to continue to build your knowledge on this complex subject.
About this toolkit
Primer
The Addiction Medicine Primer provides a general overview about substance use disorders.
PDF - Addiction Medicine Primer
Addiction Medicine Checklist
This tool is designed for clinicians to build a reference document to help treat patients with substance use disorders. The checklist consists of three main sections: treatment considerations, patient confidentiality considerations, and harm reduction considerations. Each section contains resources that clinicians can use right away.
Training modules
Continuing Education
After completing all four modules, physicians, nurses, and other health professionals can receive free continuing education for this training by registering on CDC TRAIN. Search for course number WB4517R and complete the evaluation. WB4517R Accreditation Statement
Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: An Overview of Addiction Medicine.
Learn about the relationship between substance use disorders (SUDs) and the field of addiction medicine, and how to help patients with SUDs access recovery and support services.
LAUNCH: Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: An Overview of Addiction Medicine
Treatment Options for Substance Use Disorders.
Learn about diagnosing and assessing SUDs, levels of care within SUD treatment, and the important considerations for treatment decisions.
LAUNCH: Treatment Options for Substance Use Disorders
Effective Communication in Treating Substance Use Disorders.
Learn strategies to help you communicate effectively with patients.
LAUNCH: Effective Communication in Treating Substance Use Disorders
Care Coordination in Treatment of Substance Use Disorders.
Learn about care coordination and interprofessional collaboration to treat SUDs.
LAUNCH: Care Coordination in Treatment of Substance Use Disorders
Patient cases
Treatment of Substance Use Disorders: An Overview of Addiction Medicine.
Practice effective communication strategies while treating a patient with a substance use disorder (SUD).
Interactive patient case: Ronya M.
Practice managing SUDs for a post-surgical patient.
LAUNCH: Patient Case: Ronya M.
Interactive patient case: Robert Z.
Treat a patient with long-term opioid use who asks to increase his dosage.
LAUNCH: Patient Case: Robert Z.
Interactive patient case: Luis A.
Treat a patient in the emergency department after an opioid overdose.
LAUNCH: Patient Case: Luis A.
Interactive patient case: Allison H.
Help a patient concerned about her daughter's drug use.
LAUNCH: Patient Case: Allison H.
Conversation starters
Strategies for talking to patients about treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs).
Tips to increase patient engagement when discussing substance use and SUDs.
PDF - Empathy: Talking to Patients About Substance Use Disorder
Tips clinicians can use to discuss treatment options for SUDs with a patient who has experienced a drug overdose.
PDF - Motivational Interviewing to Help Your Patients Seek Treatment
Techniques for using non-stigmatizing language about SUDs with patients and caregivers.
PDF - Remove Stigma: Talk with Your Patients about Substance Use Disorder
Resources
ASAM has additional resources to continue to build your knowledge on this complex subject.
- ASAM - https://www.asam.org/.
- ASAM Quality Care Clinical Guidelines -https://www.asam.org/quality-care/clinical-guidelines
- ASAM eLearning resources - https://elearning.asam.org/.
Section 1262 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (also known as Omnibus bill), removes the federal requirement for practitioners to have a DATA 2000 waiver ("x-waiver") or submit a Notice of Intent to prescribe medications, like buprenorphine, for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). All practitioners who have a current DEA registration that includes Schedule III authority may now prescribe buprenorphine for OUD in their practice if permitted by applicable state law. For more information, please visit this SAMHSA.