Section: Module 6: Effective Communication in Substance Use Disorder Management | Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care | NextGenU.org

  • 55Competency covered in this module: 
    • Communicate effectively with those to whom you provide care, their family, and caregivers.
    Approximate time required for the readings for this module (at 144 words/minute): 21 hours and 31 minutes.

    • Module 6: Lesson 1: Communication Strategies

      Learning Outcomes:

      Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

      • Demonstrate how to use simple and clear language.

      • Demonstrate how to ask the person for their own understanding of the condition.

      • Explain how to provide information to the person on their health status in terms that they can understand.

      • Recognize that you must be friendly, respectful, and non-judgmental at all times.

      • Recognize that communication is clear, empathic, and sensitive to age, gender, culture, and language differences.

      • Demonstrate how to respond to the disclosure of private and distressing information (e.g., regarding sexual assault or self-harm) with sensitivity.

      • Identify the typical family's reaction to knowledge of substance use issues in a family member.

      • Demonstrate how to gain the consent of the person to keep carers informed about the person’s health status, including issues related to assessment, treatment, follow-up, and any potential side effects.
      Required Learning Resources and Activities
    • url icon
      Key Language Principles for Substance Use Disorder URL
      Students must
      Mark as done

      Read the entire article. (16 minutes)

      National Council for Mental Wellbeing - 2021

    • url icon
      Health Literacy for Interprofessional Education (IPE) eToolkit URL
      Students must
      Mark as done

      Read the overview, download and read the factsheet titled "Improving Oral Communication to Promote Health Literacy" and watch the video "Health literacy skit." (12 minutes)

      Pacific University of Oregon - 2017

    • url icon
      Words Matter - Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (7 minutes)

      NIH - 2021

    • url icon
      Destigmatizing language in substance use URL
      Students must
      Mark as done

      Read the entire article. (20 minutes)

      VA.gov - 2024

    • url icon
      Questions Asked During A Substance Abuse Assessment URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire post. (7 minutes)

      New Directions Assessments- 2022

    • url icon
      Precision communication: Physicians’ linguistic adaptation to patients’ health literacy URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the introduction (pgs. 1-2) and discussion (pgs. 4-8). (25 minutes)

      Science Advances - 2021

    • url icon
      7 tips for clear patient communication URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (3 minutes)

      Medical Economics Journal- 2021

    • url icon
      Effective Communication in Health and Social Care URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (15 minutes)

      CPD Online College - 2025

    • url icon
      Patient-Centered Communication: Basic Skills URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (25 minutes)

      American association of family physicians - 2017

    • url icon
      Non-judgmental care URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (2 minutes)

      Minnesota Department of Health - 2023

    • url icon
      Cultural Respect URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (11 minutes)

      NIH - 2024

    • url icon
      Advancing Health Equity at Every Point of Contact URL
      Students must
      View

      Watch the video entitled "In Your Words." (7 minutes)

      US Department of Health & Human Services - 2020

    • url icon
      The value of communicating with patients in their first language URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (10 minutes)

      Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research - 2020

    • url icon
      Tips for Improving Communication with Older Patients URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (60 minutes)

      NIH - 2023

    • url icon
      Supporting patients who make disclosures of sexual violence on inpatient wards URL
      Students must
      View

      Read pages 13-22, as well as Appendix 1 on page 26. (25 minutes)

      Royal College of Nursing - 2020

    • url icon
      Self-Harm Disclosures URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (5 minutes)

      Hampshire Safeguarding Children Partnership - 2020

    • url icon
      Disclosures for the protection of patients and others URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage. (13 minutes)

      General Medical Council - 2017

    • url icon
      Patient Confidentiality URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the sections: "Introduction" and "Clinical Significance". (37 minutes)

      StatPearls Publishing LLC - 2023

    • url icon
      Family Addiction: How Does Addiction Affect Families? URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire article. (50 minutes)

      AAC - 2025

    • url icon
      When a parent drinks too much alcohol... What kids want to know URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire resource, which covers how to talk to children of adults who drink too much. The way the questions are answered can be applied to other types of substance use as well (besides alcohol), providing that the relevant information for the substance is given instead.

       (15 minutes)

      camh- 2022

    • url icon
      Substance misuse: through the lens of the family URL
      Students must
      View

      Read from "A Family Perspective" up to the end of the article. (15 minutes)

      Adfam - 2021

    • url icon
      An unknown invisible intrusion. Impact of an adult family member’s problematic substance use on family life: a meta-ethnography URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the introduction (pages 1-2), results (pages 7-10), and conclusion (pages 11-12). (22 minutes)

      Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy - 2020

    • url icon
      Using and disclosing patient information for direct care URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the entire webpage, paying special attention to the section "Sharing information with those close to the patient." (12 minutes)

      General Medical Council - 2018

    • url icon
      Patient Rights and Ethics URL
      Students must
      View

      Read the sections on: "Respect for Patient Autonomy", "Informed Consent Prior to Treatment", and "Health Information Privacy and Control". (32 minutes)

      StatPearls Publishing LLC. - 2024

    •  
      Recommended Additional Readings
    • url icon
      Visual Communication Resources URL

      Read the entire webpage. (3 minutes)

      CDC - 2024

    • forum icon
      Module 6: Effective Communication in Substance Use Disorder Management Forum

      SLOs:

      • Demonstrate use of clear, empathic, and culturally sensitive communication

      • Explain how to provide information in understandable terms

      • Recognize techniques for responding to sensitive disclosures

      • Identify strategies for communicating with families about substance use issues

      General Instructions:

      In this peer activity, you will develop and practice advanced communication skills for substance use disorder management in primary care.

      Step 1: Preparation

      • Review principles of patient-centered communication in substance use disorder treatment

      • Study cultural considerations in substance use disorder communication

      • Examine strategies for communicating with families and caregivers

      • Explore methods for explaining complex medical information in accessible language

      Step 2: Create and Submit

      Develop a communication toolkit (600-800 words) that includes:

      • Scripts for initiating conversations about substance use with patients

      • Strategies for responding to defensive reactions or denial

      • Approaches for discussing substance use with family members

      • Techniques for explaining treatment options in clear, non-stigmatizing language

      • Cultural adaptations for diverse patient populations.

    • quiz icon
      Quiz: Module 6

      To access the quiz, click on the name of the quiz provided above. On the following screen, click the attempt quiz button to view the case studies and respond to the questions.

      TO PASS THIS QUIZ YOU MUST OBTAIN A SCORE OF 80%.


      Not available unless: The activity Quiz: Module 5 is marked complete
    •  
      Supplementary Learning Resources (Not Required)
    • resource icon
      Lesson Summary: Module 6: Effective Communication in Substance Use Disorder Management File

      The lesson summary includes key information needed to meet the objectives of this module. You are encouraged to review it carefully. At the end of the lesson summary, you'll also find a list of references with clickable links, you can explore them if you'd like to learn more or dive deeper into the topic.

      315.1 KB · Uploaded 11/13/25, 18:41
    • resource icon
      Study Guide: Module 6: Effective Communication in Substance Use Disorder Management File

      In this document, we summarized key topics of the module to help you study. Please note that these notes do not cover all of the material in its entirety; you are still encouraged to read and study all of the required learning resources.

      425.7 KB
    • page icon
      Flashcards Module 6: Effective Communication in Substance Use Disorder Management Page

      Here are specialized flashcards designed to reinforce and test your knowledge throughout this course.

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      Microlearning Module 6: Effective Communication in Substance Use Disorder Management SCORM package