Americas Illicit Drug Crisis

Course overview

This course provides an overview of heroin and its use in the United States, signs and symptoms of heroin use as well as immediate and long-term interventions. Learning Outcomes: 1. Discuss the composition and properties of three types of heroin. 2. Compare and contrast the effects of heroin on the brain based on the mode of transmission. 3. Define terms relevant to heroin use. 4. Describe today's heroin epidemic. 5. Describe the etiology of heroin addiction. 6. Describe the signs and symptoms of heroin use. 7. Explain the differences between the psychological and physical effects of short-term and chronic heroin use. 8. Discuss immediate and long-term treatment methods, including three evidence-based therapies to treat heroin use. 9. Highlight special nursing considerations when caring for patients who are addicted or at risk for becoming addicted to heroin.