BACKGROUND:

There is a growing trend of development and improvement of education and training in the field of addictions, hand in hand with the increase and changes of substance use-related issues. To ensure a high level of education quality it is necessary to name and define competency-based models and quality standards of different groups of addiction workforce/professionals in various drug demand reduction settings (prevention, treatment/ social reintegration/recovery, and harm reduction) as it is important to guarantee high-quality care to the target group of people dealing with substance...

Tobacco harm reduction is a public health strategy aimed at lessening the health impact of cigarette smoking. This approach involves using non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), which deliver nicotine without combustion. Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes produce an aerosol without burning, resulting in lower levels of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.

This narrative review delves into existing literature examining the chemistry of e-cigarette aerosols, associated toxicology in cell culture and animal models, and clinical...

BACKGROUND: The role of physicians is crucial in the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders and addiction. The quality of addiction-specific medical education varies, as do postgraduate and continuing medical education programmes in different countries. In order to ensure a high level of quality education, it is necessary to name and define competency-based quality standards that enable physicians to provide the highest quality care to patients.

METHODS: The objective of the study will be the identification of quality standards in competency-based postgraduate and continual...

The Alcohol Use and Mental Health Project ECHO is a no-cost virtual program for health care professionals who are looking for up-to-date and research-based information on working with people who use alcohol. 

The program, which is only in its first year, has the potential to improve care through enhanced screening for severe alcohol consumption and the application of evidence-based therapies, such as behavioural and pharmaceutical ones. The Alcohol Use and Mental Health ECHO has held 11 sessions as of January 2023, averaging 197 participants per session on a standard deviation of 90.2 (Mean...

INTRODUCTION: The high rate of substance use highlights the need to intervene in the initial use prevention of smoking tobacco. The aim was to determine the efficacy of anti-smoking messages to motivate smoking cessation.

METHODS: It was hypothesised that the messages would reduce the frequency of smoking. The influence of the messages on the intention to smoke, negative emotions, perceived self-efficacy, and health behaviour was also measured. Relevant reliable and valid questionnaires were used to collect data for this experimental study.

RESULTS: In this study mean differences were...

CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A adolescência é uma das fases mais importantes da vida humana. Esse período é repleto de diferentes estímulos e tipos de influência – dos pais, dos colegas e da sociedade. Está relacionada à maior suscetibilidade a comportamentos problemáticos e à impulsividade. Por isso, é importante explorar o tema da impulsividade e do comportamento impulsivo.

MÉTODOS: Este estudo aborda a impulsividade em adolescentes usando um método de questionário tcheco, a Escala de Impulsividade Dolejš & Skopal (SIDS). Também verifica empiricamente a funcionalidade da escala e aponta suas...

INTRODUÇÃO: À medida que a prevalência do uso de substâncias continua a aumentar em todo o mundo em meio à pandemia em curso, os profissionais de prevenção do uso de substâncias são desafiados a encontrar maneiras alternativas de aprimorar seus conhecimentos e competências para usar as melhores práticas na área. Na atual situação de saúde global, em que a realização de seminários de treinamento presenciais é extremamente difícil, a opção mais viável é o aprendizado online. O objetivo deste estudo é explorar como os diferentes aspectos de um curso online de prevenção do uso de substâncias...