PIPSA Curriculum

Partners In Prevention of Substance Abuse (PIPSA)

A module divided among members of a Health Professions study team directs each member in teaching the others via peer instruction. were developed at the University of Florida for teaching Immunology in medical schools and later branched out for teaching about treatment of addiction, a problem many physicians and other health-care professionals are inadequately trained to understand and treat effectively.

While a patient addicted to nicotine may present very differently from one addicted to food, the underlying principles of behavioral change are consistent, accompanied by significantly high risk to health. The curriculum addresses both clinical and behavioral aspects of nicotine addiction, thereby preparing the healthcare practitioner to transfer these skills to effective treatment of other addictions.

I. Tobacco Preparation Packet (Download PDF) - Health Professional students receive individual packets of process instructions, baseline survey instruments and assignments ~1 week prior to the group learning experience.

II. Tobacco Workbooks - These workbooks derive directly from the model. Health Professional student teams meet to perform group-learning activities and complete cognitive and program-activity evaluations.

Download PDF Workbooks: Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple

III. Tools and Methodology to measure cognitive retention and attitudes/behaviors of participants may be requested on institutional letterhead. Maintaining anonymity of subjects is possible with planning in advance of the Preparation Packet's baseline data collection.

Although this interactive PIPSA Tobacco module may be used in any healthcare professions education program, it serves as a cornerstone in the statewide Florida AHEC Tobacco Program.

For more information, please contact the University of Florida AHEC Program Office.