E-learning Course Relaunch: ‘Bacterial Infection and Drug Use’

18 October 2022

Scottish Drugs Forum is pleased to announce the relaunch of the e-learning course  ‘Bacterial Infections and Drug Use’. The course gives participants the opportunity to explore signs and symptoms of bacterial infections and raise awareness of harm reduction information relevant to bacterial infection. People will gain an overview of different bacterial infection outbreaks in Scotland.   

By the end of the course, participants will be able to: 

  • Recognise the signs and symptoms of bacterial infections 
  • Recall different bacterial infection outbreaks in Scotland   
  • Describe harm reduction information for bacterial infection in the context of substance use 

Although the course has been designed to meet the needs of people who may come into contact with people who use drugs, various other audiences will benefit from the e-learning, including housing workers, social workers and mental health workers. 

Lynn Couper, Senior Training and Development Officer,  who helped develop the content of the course said, “Early identification of bacterial infection is important. This allows early treatment which improves the chances of people making a full recovery. In the case of an outbreak, transmission of infection can be prevented and the outbreak contained only if people have the information and support they need to keep themselves and others safe. 

“Although the consequences of an infection can be life-threatening, there is also the added burden of shame and stigma that people can experience; which can lead to people not seeking help. We wanted to update this course so workers could get accessible, up to date knowledge, that would give them confidence in identifying bacterial infections, which can be potentially lifesaving.” 

Scottish Drugs Forum is continuing to invest in developing outstanding e-learning courses. This course, along with other e-learning packages, will continue to be updated and renewed to keep up with the best industrial practices. Last year, Scottish Drugs Forum received the Quality Mark Digital which highlights that the e-learning delivery processes have met the standard of a robust quality assurance assessment. 

Alongside our face-to-face training, SDF has been supporting the development of e-learning courses on a variety of topics as it is recognised as an effective tool for individuals who may experience constraints on available time and budget. 

The course can be completed in under 2 hours, or alternatively can be completed in separate sittings to provide a fully flexible learning experience. 

 Click here to access the ‘Bacterial Infections and Drug Use’ course on the SDF Training website.