Massachusetts’ medical schools have reached an agreement with the state to better teach their students how to recognize, prevent and manage prescription opioid abuse.
The standards were developed by the state public health commissioner, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the medical schools at the University of Massachusetts; Boston University, Tufts University; and Harvard University, which have about 3,000 students combined.
Students will learn how to evaluate the risk of opioid addiction, treat patients at risk of substance abuse before they become addicted and manage addiction as a chronic disease.
Each school will tailor the standards to complement existing curricula.
Massachusetts district attorneys and some county sheriffs are supporting Governor Charlie Baker’s proposed legislation that would restrict a patient’s supply of prescription opioids and give medical professionals the authority to commit a patient for substance abuse treatment if they pose a danger to themselves or others.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
