Welcome to Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care (SUDPC). The SUDPC course provides an introduction to the prevention, screening, and treatment (medication, risk of interactions with substances, psychological therapies) of substance use disorders related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. The course also provides an introduction to the health consequences associated with substance use disorders and the links between substance use disorders and mental health disorders. Students will gain practical knowledge on how to communicate with patients, conduct a medical consultation to assess substance use disorders, monitor treatment effects, and decide when to refer their patients to specialized settings. The course uses various formats of learning resources (e.g., academic publications, health agencies recommendations, medical associations recommendations, and government guidelines), and its activities allow students to practice techniques with their local peers in hopes of reducing the prevalence and burden of substance use disorders.

This SUDPC course is sponsored by the Africa Mental Health Foundation,  and the University of Florida. Like all NextGenU.org courses, it is competency-based, using competencies adapted from the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) and learning resources from accredited, world-class organizations such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the World Health Organization.

The course was initially co-developed by Veronic Clair, MD, MSc, CCFP, FRCPC; Sukhdeep Jassar, MPH; and Abednego Musau, MBChB. The course was redesigned and updated by Pablo Baldiviezo, MD, DiplEd; Carolina Bustillos, MD, DiplEd; Genikka Camille Gabral, B.ED, MSc; Magali Collonnaz, MD, MPH, MSc; Felix Emeka Anyiam, MPH, MScPH, DataSc.; Yhan O'Neil Williams, BSc, Ph.D.; Hugo Rojas, MD, MSc, DiplEd;

For publications on NextGenU.org’s courses’ efficacy, see NextGenU.org’s publication page. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of future updates, new courses, and to be part of our community.

 There are six (6) modules to complete, which provide an introduction to: 

The course requires completion of Discussion Forums and Peer Activities. At the end of each module, there is a practice quiz of ten (10) multiple-choice questions. After you’ve completed each module, quiz, and learning activity, at the end of the course, you’ll have access to a final exam consisting of fifty (50) multiple-choice questions and a chance to evaluate this course. Participants have up to three opportunities to take the final exam and achieve the required score of >=70%.

Once you’ve passed the last test, you will be able to download a certificate of completion from NextGenU.org and our course’s co-sponsoring organizations. We keep your personal information confidential, never sell any of your information, and only use anonymized data for research purposes. Also, we are happy to report your testing information and share your work with anyone (your school, employer, etc.) at your request. 

Engaging with this Course:

You may browse this course for free to learn for your personal enrichment; there are no requirements. To register for this course, it is a requirement that learners have a college-level/bachelor's degree.

• Pre-test,
• All the reading requirements,
• All quizzes and pass with a 70% with unlimited attempts,
• All peer activities,
• All discussion forums,
• The final exam with a minimum of 70% and a maximum of 3 attempts, and
• The self and course evaluation forms.

• Complete all requirements listed above for the certificate, and
• Your learning institution or workplace should approve the partner-university-sponsored NextGenU.org course for educational credit, as they would for their learner taking a course anywhere.

• A link to and description of the course training, so they can see all its components, including the co-sponsoring universities and other professional organization co-sponsors,
• Your grade on the final exam,
• Your work products (e.g., case study activities) and any other required or optional shared materials that you produce and authorize to share with them,
• Your evaluations -- course, self-assessments, and
• A copy of your certificate of completion, with the co-sponsoring universities and other organizations listed.

We hope you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your assessment and feedback to help us improve this training for future students.

• Complete the registration form.
• Take the pre-test.
• Begin the course with Module 1: Introduction to Substance Use Disorder Services in Primary Care. In each lesson, read the description, complete all required readings and any required activity, and take the corresponding quizzes.