Critical analysis to support the planning of training courses on alcohol and other drugs to interdisciplinary teams working at the public health, justice and social care system

• Grant number: 14/22978-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Acordo de Cooperação: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Ana Regina Noto
• Grantee: Alessandra Nagamine Bonadio Matta
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The abuse and the addiction of alcohol and other drugs, besides the huge social costs involved, calls for appropriate identification and treatment in the different network segments involved. However, the team´s unpreparedness to perform early diagnosis of both condition - substance abuse and addiction - and to provide the prompt intervention or referral to specialized services stands out, both in Brazil and in other countries, as well as the social stigma often attached to this population. These facts are due to inadequate professional training, making it essential the continuing education throughout the professional practice. Besides that, the poor evaluation of the training programs offered often contributes to the repetition of the mismatches observed between the professionals´ demands and the contents covered on the courses, usually reflecting on waste of time, public funds and human resources. The purpose of this study is to gather information for better planning alcohol and other drugs training courses for professionals working in the health, social care, security and justice system in São Paulo. This research will mix both the quantitative (self-completion questionnaires) and qualitative (focus groups) approaches. It will rely on the courses offered by the Regional Reference Centre linked to the Drug Dependency Unit, Discipline of Drug Abuse Medicine and Sociology, Department of Psychobiology, Federal University of São Paulo. The purpose of the quantitative stage is to map the profile and level of knowledge of the 300 professionals enrolled in the course, who will answer questionnaires in the first and in the last day of the course. The qualitative stage aims to raise the demands, expectations, needs and beliefs of professionals in relation to the alcohol and drugs topic and will feature the participation of 56 professionals, who will take part in the focus groups in the first and in the last day of the course. The data generated in the quantitative phase will be submitted to descriptive statistical analysis, comparing the emerging information observed prior to the participation in the course and the information found later. The information from the focus groups will be subjected to content analysis, generating specific categories of analysis. This research has already been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of São Paulo (process nº 841.957). (AU)