Dr Teena Downton is a FACRRM and current Medical Educator with the College. She has a passion for rural health and a strong commitment to her Rural Generalist career, motivated by a passion to promote and support access to quality and safe health care close to home for rural patients. Teena has recently completed the online course component of the ACRRM Drug and Alcohol Addiction Education (DAAE) program. We caught up with her to discuss why the program is important for rural doctors…

What challenges have you faced in addressing drug and alcohol addiction in your community? 

I occasionally see patients with drug and alcohol addiction issues in general practice. They can present in different ways - acutely with psychosis or during a mental health crisis, incidentally during exploration of patient's social history, or with complications such as liver disease and cognitive impairment. Some obstetric patients I cared for also struggle with drug and alcohol issues. As a Rural Generalist, I find it challenging managing these issues in the community as each patient is at a different stage of their addiction journey and the impacts of drugs and alcohol on their life are far reaching. Achieving wins takes persistence, engagement and time.

What prompted you to undertake the ACRRM Drug and Alcohol Addiction Education (DAAE) Program? How will you use these learnings and apply it to your local community? 

I had heard about the program on the ACRRM website and via ACRRM emails. One of my registrars mentioned she had recently completed the program online and found it to be an excellent resource to assist her in her clinical practice and exam preparation, so I thought it would be worthwhile to do it to see for myself. I have been seeing more patients with multi-substance addiction lately, so was interested to update my knowledge and skills in the area so that I can be more aware of what I need to consider and what resources are available to me to manage these patients. The fact that the course was free and had a financial incentive attached (for ACRRM members) was a bonus.

As a Medical Educator for ACRRM’s Independent Pathway why do you think the DAAE program is important for FACRRMs and rural doctors in training?

The DAAE program really helps to meet a gap in drug and alcohol education for FACRRMs and rural doctors in training. There are so many areas of medicine that we need to be knowledgeable on. Drug and alcohol addiction is an area I've mostly learned through self-education. There's often not enough time apportioned to covering it in medical school or in structured teaching programs. As rural doctors we will always have patients that will come to us for help in this area, and we have the best opportunity to make a positive impact if we can start the doctor-patient relationship with them on this issue optimally from the start. The DAAE program is easy and logically structured, covers a lot of relevant information concisely, and written in a way that is friendly for doctors who don't see a lot of drug and alcohol addiction patients but want to know key points on how to make a difference.

What takeaways have you had following completion of the ACRRM DAAE Program?

The program has reinforced the importance to me of appropriate and respectful use of language in communicating with patients, family members and communities on drug and alcohol issues. It has helped me better understand the natural history of addiction and what drug and alcohol-affected patients are experiencing. It has also directed me to several amazing resources on the topic. 

What would you say to anyone thinking of enrolling in the program?

The DAAE is a great option to upskill in drug and alcohol addiction at your own pace, and the online delivery is great especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The content is tailored for the rural doctor in mind, and is practical, relevant and to the point.

For more information and to enrol in ACRRM's Drug and Alcohol Addiction (DAAE) Program, click here.