Exploring the Opioid Crisis Through Systems Thinking and Participative Model Building: An Experiential Learning Event

The impact of the opioid crisis is significant resulting in not only rising mortality and morbidity but also significant social and economic costs. As detailed in Felbab-Brown et al. (The Opioid Crisis in America Domestic and International Dimensions. Brookings Paper Series, [1]), ‘Since 2000, there have been 400,000 opioid-involved deaths in the U.S. In the United States of America the number of people dying from opioid overdose increased by 120% between 2010 and 2018’. Stemming from a 2018 survey, it is estimated that upwards of 2.35 million Americans are suffering from an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Today’s public health crisis associated with opioid use is characterized by complexity requiring more than one discipline to address the issues. Healthcare professionals must therefore work in inter-professional teams in order to better communicate and address these complex and challenging needs (Bridges et al. in Medical Education 16, [2]). Systems thinking is an approach to better understand the interconnectivity and interdependencies associated with public health issues including how to intervene to improve individual and population health. Inter-professional experiences thereby support development of skills facilitating opportunities to become ‘…collaborative inter-professional team members who show respect and positive attitudes towards each other and work towards improving patient outcomes’ (Bridges et al. in Medical Education 16, [2]). This chapter examines the application of systems thinking and participative model building in an Interprofessional Education (IPE) event held in November 2019 by USF Health, University of South Florida. The IPE event focused on the opioid crisis and was comprised of a learning journey of concept development, collaborative model building and shared sensemaking across healthcare professionals.