Substance abuse has long been an important public health issue in Australia, with profoundly negative implications for individuals, families, communities, and healthcare systems. Whilst no community or population group is spared from the risks of addiction and abuse, some groups are notably more at-risk than others. The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has determined several at-risk populations as experiencing disproportionate harms from substance abuse, and make particular reference to these priority populations in policy responses such as the National Drug Strategy 2017-2026. 

Within this report you will examine issues of substance abuse in an at-risk population of your choice. You will review the sociocultural determinants influencing substance use in this population, and report upon the most prevalent forms of dangerous substance abuse. In addition to considering prehospital treatment of emergency presentations, you will assess the collaborative approaches necessary for effective intervention and rehabilitation. 

Your report will have a word count of 1,800 words (+/- 10%). Structure your report around the following key questions, using your own headings and observing the required word counts for each section.

Identify and describe your selected population and their relevant sociocultural determinants of health:

• Introduce your chosen at-risk population, and explain the relevant sociocultural determinants of health influencing substance abuse in this group
• This section should be ~600 words (+/- 10%) in total.

Report upon substance abuse within your selected population: 

• What are the most prevalent forms of substance abuse within this population? 
• For one of the more acutely dangerous substances, explain the acute and chronic physical and psychosocial effects of abuse
• This section should be ~600 words (+/- 10%) in total.

Assess the collaborative approaches available for effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of substance abuse: 

• What health services exist for the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of substance abuse in Australia? Are any of these specific to your chosen population? 
• Evaluate the availability of these services in your local area, and identify any shortfalls or issues that may impact patient uptake, treatment, and long-term rehabilitation
• If you suspect that any patient is struggling with substance misuse, what can you do for them? 
• This section should be ~600 words (+/- 10%)  in total.

Cover page and reference list:

• Include a cover page as stipulated within the Moodle page for this task
• Include a complete reference list as stipulated within the Moodle page for this task
• Neither the cover page nor the reference list are included within the overall word count. 

The report comprises just three sections as described above, plus the cover page and a reference list section. There is no need to include an introduction or a conclusion, and subheadings relating to specific questions are not required. 

This task is worth 25% of your overall mark. You must attain a minimum mark of 50% for this task to pass, and you must pass this task to pass the unit.

The assessment tool for this task is a rubric, available from the Moodle page for this task. The rubric assesses your submission on the following main assessment criteria: 

• Presentation, formatting, and completion 
• Content depth, detail, and critical insight 
• Use of peer-reviewed and other relevant and appropriate literature sources 
• Academic writing clarity, organisation, and style. 

Instructions provided within the Moodle page for this task include video guidance, writing support documents, and reference material. You must refer to the Assessment Tile in Moodle for the Generative AI Permission document and further guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI and writing assistance apps (e.g. Grammarly) in this unit. 

Your station holds regular continuing professional development (CPD) sessions for all paramedics, during which any member is invited to present a clinical topic for discussion and review. You are contributing to the next session by creating a report on new developments in management of your favourite toxidrome. Your audience is a mix of Advanced and Critical Care Paramedics, who will receive your report one week before the CPD session and then discuss your findings within the session. 

Within the report you will first introduce your choice of toxidrome and report purpose, and describe the pathophysiology and clinical features. You will then review peer-reviewed literature to report best practice management of a toxidrome presentation, and then compare this best practice with existing ambulance guidelines to identify any differences. You will conclude by providing two discussion prompts for the CPD session. 

Your report will have a word count of 1,800 words (+/- 10%). Structure your report around the following sections, using the headings provided and observing the required word counts for each section. 

Introduction:

• Introduce your chosen toxidrome, and state the report purpose
• This section should be ~180 words (~10% of total report length).

Pathophysiology:

• Describe the systemic effects of this toxic substance upon organs and organ systems, and explain the clinical progression from onset to life-threatening
• This section should be 450-540 words (25-30%).

Current best-practice in literature:

• Review current recommendations for clinical management of this toxidrome in peer-reviewed literature, and explain treatment effects
• Your sources must comprise three appropriate peer-reviewed papers of no more than five to ten years old
• This section should be 720-810 words (40-45%).

Recommendations:

• Analyze whether your research findings support current guidelines from the statutory ambulance service in your own State or Territory
• Are any new developments suitable for prehospital implementation? Develop and rationalise recommendations to maintain or alter management plans for this toxidrome
• This section should be 270-360 words (15-20%).

Discussion prompts:

• Provide two discussion prompts in the form of questions
• A prompt could relate to prehospital implementation of any new developments you discovered in the literature
• Prompts can also relate to any part of your research findings or related topics, e.g. at-risk populations, differentiatial diagnoses, or challenges in clinical management. Think broadly about sparking discussion!  
• This section should be no more than 90 words (5%).

Cover page and reference list:

• Include a cover page as stipulated within the Moodle page for this task
• Include a complete reference list as stipulated within the Moodle page for this task
• Neither the cover page nor the reference list are included within the overall word count. 

This task is worth 35% of your overall mark. You must attain a minimum mark of 50% for this task to pass, and you must pass this task to pass the unit. 

The assessment tool for this task is a rubric, available from the Moodle page for this task. The rubric assesses your submission on the following main assessment criteria: 

• Presentation, formatting, and completion
• Content depth, detail, and critical insight
• Use of peer-reviewed and other relevant and appropriate literature sources
• Writing clarity, organisation, and academic style.

Instructions provided within the Moodle page for this task include video guidance, writing support documents, and reference material. You must refer to the Assessment Tile in Moodle for the Generative AI Permission document and further guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI and writing assistance apps (e.g. Grammarly) in this unit. 

The test incorporates a mix of questions requiring brief, medium-length, and long responses to assess your theoretical knowledge of unit content related to Learning Outcomes Two and Three. You have 25 questions for a maximum of 100 marks. 

The test covers relevant content from weeks one through twelve. Where questions require detailed clinical management, this must be in accordance with relevant and current components of the Queensland Ambulance Service Digital Clinical Practice Manual. 

You must have a Javascript-enabled browser to access and complete this test. Please click here for instructions on how to enable Javascript for your browser. 

A walkthrough video presents the nature and type of questions, and instructions on how to best answer questions and work through the overall test. Formative tests with complete worked answers are provided to support self-review of content and familiarity with the online test format and setting. 

This task is worth 40% of your overall mark. You must attain a minimum mark of 50% for this task to pass, and you must pass this task to pass the unit. 

• The test becomes available at 0900hrs on Saturday, Week Twelve (0900hrs AEST 07 June 2025), and remains open for nine calendar days
• You must have a Javascript-enabled browser to access and complete this test
• You have one attempt for this test
• You have a strict time limit of 90 minutes to complete the test; there is no facility to save progress and return to complete it later
• Once started, do not press BACK on your browser or REFRESH the page at any time; your work will be lost as responses are not saved until the test is submitted
• When the time limit expires, open attempts are automatically submitted
• The test closes at 0900hrs on Monday, Week Fourteen (0900hrs AEST 16 June 2025)
• When the test closes, open attempts are automatically submitted; you must therefore start the test more than ninety minutes before the closure deadline to receive your full time period
• For this assessment task no late submissions will be accepted and the test will close and become unavailable after the due date and time
• In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete the task after this date
• If you experience a technical issue you must notify the Unit Coordinator immediately
• This is an INDIVIDUAL TASK and must not be collaboratively completed. Test submissions are scrutinised to identify instances of collusion between students, and all such instances are reported to the Academic Misconduct Board.