Lesson 1Psychiatric history and current mental status: mood, suicidality, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, cognitive function, prior treatments and responseThis section explains how to collect psychiatric history and do a mental status exam, covering mood, suicide risk, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, thinking ability, and past treatments, to spot other disorders and plan combined care.
Screening for mood disorders and bipolar spectrumAssessment of suicidality and self-harm riskEvaluation of anxiety, PTSD, and trauma exposureIdentification of psychosis and cognitive impairmentReview of prior psychiatric treatments and responsesLesson 2Risk behaviours and safety assessment: overdose risk factors, current intoxication/withdrawal signs, injection practices, needle sharing, pregnancy risk, domestic violenceThis section covers checking overdose risk, current drunkenness or withdrawal, injecting and risky sexual behaviours, pregnancy risk, and domestic or partner violence to plan immediate safety and harm reduction.
Assessment of overdose history and current risk factorsRecognition of intoxication and withdrawal signsInjection practices, needle sharing, and equipment useSexual risk behaviors, contraception, and pregnancyScreening for domestic and intimate partner violenceLesson 3Documentation and consent considerations: confidentiality, mandatory reporting, informed consent for medications, opioid treatment programme rulesThis section reviews legal and ethical rules for documentation and consent in opioid use disorder care, including privacy, required reporting, consent for drugs, and opioid treatment programme rules and record-keeping.
Essential elements of clinical documentation42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA confidentiality rulesMandatory reporting and duty to warn situationsInformed consent for MOUD and off-label useOpioid treatment program policies and recordsLesson 4Screening instruments and structured assessments: COWS, Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale; ASSIST; AUDIT; PHQ-9; GAD-7; substance use disorder diagnostic checklistsThis section introduces proven screening tools and structured checks used in opioid use disorder care, including COWS, ASSIST, AUDIT, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and diagnostic lists, with advice on scoring, understanding, and using in practice.
Use and scoring of the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal ScaleASSIST and AUDIT for substance use screeningPHQ-9 and GAD-7 for mood and anxiety symptomsStructured SUD diagnostic checklists and criteriaIntegrating tool results into clinical decisionsLesson 5Social, occupational, legal and family assessment: housing, child custody, employment stability, intimate partner dynamics, social supports, forensic issuesThis section looks at social, work, legal, and family areas, including housing, jobs, child custody, partner relations, social support, and court matters that affect treatment involvement and recovery plans.
Housing stability, homelessness, and basic needsEmployment, income, and workplace functioningChild custody, parenting, and family rolesIntimate partner relationships and social supportsLegal charges, probation, and forensic concernsLesson 6Medical history focused on injection-related complications, infectious disease risk, chronic pain, liver disease, medications and allergiesThis section explains how to get a focused medical history for patients with opioid use disorder, stressing injection problems, infection risk, long-term pain, liver issues, current drugs, allergies, and effects on treatment plans.
Injection-related complications and soft tissue infectionsScreening for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and STIsAssessment of chronic pain conditions and functional impactEvaluation of liver disease, labs, and medication safetyMedication reconciliation, allergies, and drug interactionsLesson 7Detailed substance use history: onset, patterns, routes, quantities, polysubstance use, periods of abstinence, previous treatments, overdose history, naloxone useThis section shows how to get detailed substance use history, including start, patterns, methods, amounts, multiple drug use, sober times, past treatments, overdose events, and naloxone use to guide diagnosis and treatment choice.
Age of onset, progression, and key milestonesPatterns, routes, and quantities of opioid usePolysubstance use and high-risk combinationsPeriods of abstinence and relapse triggersPrior treatments, overdoses, and naloxone access
