Shared Medical Appointment: A Novel Model for Incorporating Group Visits Into Residency Training for Substance Use Disorders

Background: Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are a novel modality for treating patients with similar conditions, together, by a team of interdisciplinary providers. SMAs benefit patients with substance use disorder (SUD), but no research has focused on the feasibility of implementation of SMAs in a teaching clinic.

Methods: Primary care residents rotated in a half-day ambulatory addiction clinic for 4 weeks where a third-year resident co-facilitated 4 SMAs. Confidence, knowledge, and attitudes about SUD care were assessed using web-based surveys at weeks 0, 4, and 8. Pre- and post-intervention scores were compared using a test for paired samples.

Results: Ten residents were included in the analyses. Using a 10-point Likert scale, confidence in SUD knowledge (7.0-8.3,  = .003), confidence in counseling patients with SUD (7.1-8.2,  = .023), and confidence in facilitating an SMA (5.7-8.3,  = .007) showed statistically significant increases from baseline following exposure to the SMAs. Confidence that counseling and other treatments will make a difference for patients with illicit drug use increased (7.1-8.0,  = .142), but did not differ statistically. Furthermore, on a 4-point Likert scale, understanding of behavioral therapies for treating and preventing the relapse of SUD (2.9-3.2,  = .180) showed a similar increase. Attitudes toward patients with SUD (42.4-42.1,  = .303) and physician empathy (119.3-119.2,  = .963) did not change from pre- to post-intervention.

Conclusions: SMAs are a feasible training tool in the education of primary care residents on an addiction medicine rotation. Residents develop confidence co-facilitating SMAs after 4 weeks. Overall, exposure to SMAs during residency can provide an opportunity to increase confidence in treating patients with SUD, as well as provide a training modality that may shift the way residents interact with patients receiving SUD treatment.