Educational need assessment concerning long term courses of substance abuse in Iran

The aim of this survey was the evaluation of the demand for training in substance use in employees of Welfare Organization, Tehran, Iran. This study had two parts: 1 qualitative, using FGDs, 2 surveys as a quantitative study. In the quantitative part, staff of the welfare organization that carries out substance use care was surveyed. Questions on personal details and experience related to the training courses were asked. Training needs were assessed through questions concerning the need for further training. Questionnaire included both open ended questions, and answers were coded to the fields of treatment, consultation, basics, prevention, research, harm reduction and other training needs. Establishing a academic degree in substance use, was believed to be essential, although the long duration needed for establishing it highlights the need for substance use including 40% of curriculum of the substance use. Master, specialty of MD, psychiatry fellowships and PhD are different degrees for the substance use academic majors. Participants emphasized on importance of presidency of drug control from such academic degree establishment. In quantitative part, 45.7% of the participants were female, %28.6 were physicians. No one reported not having training needs, minimum and maximum of training needs were 1-7, with a mean (SD) of 3.6  2.1. %66 requested academic major for substance use in the country. 42% of participants requested short training courses such as workshops. The most frequent training need was treatment, consultation, basics, prevention, research and harm reduction which was reported in 41) 78.8%, 32 (61.5%), 30 (57.7%), 26 (50%), 22 (42.3%) and 5 (9.6%) participants. 34 (65.4%) participants reported other training needs. In qualitative part, the need for a substance use major in Iranian universities was emphasized. The importance of financial resources was highlighted in this regard. As 66% of welfare substance care staffs need an academic degree in substance use, and the most frequent training needs were treatment (78.8%) and consultation (61.5%), welfare organization, ministry of health and medical education and also presidency for drug control should emphasize more on training of their staffs, especially in some specific fields.