Postgraduate medical fellowship training in alcoholism and drug abuse: national consensus standards

This paper describes the historical background of the Consensus Standards for Postgraduate Medical Fellowships in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, developed for the American Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism and Addictions and the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse. These standards were prepared by a National Advisory Committee of the Center for Medical Fellowships in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, which includes 23 leading figures in academic medical training in the addiction field. The standards define general information, facilities and resources, the educational program, and the specific knowledge and skills appropriate to fellowship training. The standards were designed to provide a model for optimal training for residency affiliated fellowships to be used by faculty, trainees, and organizations setting training standards.
Only in recent years has the medical profession come to recognize substance abuse as a medical problem rather than a moral issue. The growth and success of Alcoholics Anonymous has played an important role in convincing physicians to view alcoholism as a disease. This new view of addiction has led to specialized training for physicians in the field of alcoholism and drug abuse. This training usually occurs after the individual has finished an accredited residency program in a medical specialty, thus the alcoholism and drug abuse curriculum is considered a subspecialty. In 1989, there were 34 residency-affiliated fellowship programs in this subspecialty, and most had only been in existence for several years. In this article, the Consensus Standards for Postgraduate Medical Fellowships in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse are described; these standards were developed by experts in the medical aspects of addiction who served on the National Advisory Committee of the Center for Medical Fellowships in Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Aspects of the fellowship programs that are addressed in these standards include facilities, resources, educational objectives, and the skills and knowledge to be attained by participants. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
INTRODUCTION Until recently, there has been limited recognition by the medical community of the legitimacy of substance abuse as a specialized area of treatment. Indeed, it was only in 1972 [...]