Inefficiency of didactic training workshops as a tool to implement addiction services in primary healthcare services
Objective: Substance abuse is a public health concern worldwide. Frontline health care professionals (HCP) are well placed to provide screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIR) for patients with substance abuse. There are many challenges to implementation of SBIR in clinical practice and widespread adoption has been slow. The objective of this research was to explore the experience of frontline HCPs in training workshops mandated by the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Quebec, and to explore the gap between training and implementation into practice. Methods: Two focus groups with ten frontline HCPs who had attended the mandated workshops were conducted and, in a second phase, 69 questionnaires were completed by HCP, among which 22 had attended the workshop. The study was conducted in Health and Social Service Centres that were in the process of implementing frontline services for substance abuse in response to government mandates. Results: Participants felt that the training provided did not adequately equip them to adopt or implement SBIR. The training was perceived as too theoretical, and disconnected from their organization’s stage of implementation. While some reported that the training was helpful in increasing knowledge, participants reported minimal use of the training tools and few concrete changes in clinical practice post-workshop. Conclusion: Workshops are a commonly used approach for promoting the uptake of new practices in health care settings ; however, they are unlikely to lead to significant long-term changes in practice. The results are discussed in the context of issues related to knowledge translation and the best practices for training.