The power of storytelling: Impact of an interprofessional substance use disorder symposium on stigma and bias in health professions students

With nearly 92,000 drug-involved overdose deaths in the United States in 2020, it is critical to enhance health care professions students’ curricula to prepare future clinicians to meet the complex needs of patients with substance use disorders (SUD). This curricular resource describes a half-day, in-person interprofessional SUD symposium using storytelling as a pedagogical approach. Two learning objectives guided the symposium: a) examine biases against people with SUDs through storytelling, reflection, and role-play and b) create solutions to mitigate stigma that people with SUDs face in the healthcare system. Pre-post analysis included comfort level with interacting with persons with SUDs, Medical Condition Regard Scale, Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professions Students, and word-frequency analysis. Open-ended reflection prompts were completed throughout the symposium and at its conclusion. After participating in the symposium, students reported higher levels of comfort in interacting with persons with SUDs and higher levels of regard for patients with SUDs. Qualitative analysis revealed that students gained knowledge, insight, and skills that will inform their future clinical practice. Overall, the symposium content and format was well received by students. Incorporating interprofessional learning using storytelling, multi-perspective discussion, and role-playing may be an effective way to mitigate stigma and bias regarding SUDs in health professions students. Information required to implement the activity is available under required materials, tables, and figures.