Training primary health care professionals to provide buprenorphine and LAAM treatment.

This paper describes the development and implementation of training programs for primary care medical practitioners and pharmacists in the delivery of buprenorphine and LAAM treatment in the management of opiate dependence. Separate training programs were developed for each medication. Each training package included learning objectives, training materials, and assessment instruments. Findings of the evaluation of these initiatives and the subsequent Australian postregistration training program for buprenorphine are described.