Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2018
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Addiction is a growing public health problem which affects the person, the whole family, and society. The primary care physician (PCP) is often the first point of contact in the health care and can play a significant role in the early detection and intervention. It is well established that early intervention is associated with better outcomes. In the formal medical training, PCPs receive no formal training on drug addiction management. In this pilot study, we developed an innovative telementoring model and looked at feasibility as well as acceptability among remote PCPs on drug addiction management.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The telementoring model consists of both synchronous and asynchronous components. The
RESULTS: Of the proposed 21 tele-ECHO clinics, 11 were held till the end of August 2017. All the PCPs were able to virtually join at least one tele-ECHO clinic. Out of 38 participants, two participated in all the tele-ECHO clinics and 47.36% (
CONCLUSION: It has been feasible to connect an academic hub, i.e., NIMHANS to the PCPs of 36 remote districts of Bihar and conduct multipoint videoconference-based tele-ECHO clinics. The results indicate high participant retention. The learners are comfortable in adapting new technology-based learning as evidenced by high rate of e-learning assignment completion. These findings suggest that this new innovative learning model using technology can be an important modality for effective training to address management of drug addiction.
Recommended Citation
Sagi MR, Aurobind G, Chand P, Ashfak A, Karthick C, Kubenthiran N, Murthy P, Komaromy M, Arora S. Innovative telementoring for addiction management for remote primary care physicians: A feasibility study. Indian J Psychiatry. 2018 Oct-Dec;60(4):461-466. doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_211_18. PMID: 30581211; PMCID: PMC6278210.
