[Do final-year medical students know enough about the treatment of alcohol use disorders and smoking?]

Background and objective: Smoking and alcohol use disorders (AUD) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in Germany. However, it has recently been shown that German medical students in years 1 to 5 do not feel competent to treat patients who are addicted to tobacco or alcohol. This study examined whether these deficits are also prevalent in students in the final (sixth) year of training.

Methods: Students enrolled in the final year at University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf were invited to complete a questionnaire assessing smoking status and self-reported knowledge of health consequences of and treatment options for AUD and smoking as well as arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Students were also asked to provide effectiveness estimates for different methods to treat AUD and smoking.

Results: A total of 228 out of 345 students participated in the survey (response rate 66 %). Smoking prevalence was 24 %. Approximately 90 % of students believed they knew how to treat arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus, but less than a third thought they knew how to treat smokers and patients with AUD. Effectiveness ratings of treatments for the two addictive disorders revealed severe misconceptions.

Conclusion: The deficits in undergraduate medical education regarding the treatment of addictive disorders reported for students from years 1 to 5 extend to students in the sixth year. Just before graduation, students still have severe knowledge gaps. In order to prevent tobacco- and alcohol-related deaths, medical school curricula need to be urgently improved.