​​​​​​​​​​​"Addiction Medicine" is the medical speciality that deals with the treatment of addiction as a chronic disease state. The speciality collaborates with other areas such as the fields of internal medicine, psychology, social work, psychiatry, and public health. Substance abuse and addiction often coexistent with other medical, psychiatric and social complications.  

 The Addiction Medicine team at Western Health is a multidisciplinary team with membership from Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology, and Nursing. Registrars and Interns also work within the unit. The team provides consultation and liaison around the management of patients from all areas of the hospital and the Drug Health Services sites. This includes the acute management of drug related problems such as managing drug withdrawal and associated complications, managing drug overdose and related complications and advice on harm reduction approaches. The team also provides specialist consultation regarding the management of complex presentations, participates in multidisciplinary approaches to case review and treatment planning, and has a role in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of drug related problems. The team can also provide consultation and support around smoking cessation strategies. The Addiction Medicine team utilizes an integrated, bio-psycho-social approach towards patient management as many patients who have substance abuse issues have significant medical, psychological or social co-morbidities. 

More information

For more information or to make a referral call 83456333 and ask to page the Addiction Medicine Registrar on pager 554.

Information for students

Drug Health Services values a learning environment and aims to support students of medicine, health, welfare and social science streams through placements at the various sites. Placements are available to undergraduate and post graduate students of relevant studies according to service capacity. We are unable to offer placements to school work experience students. 

 If you are a Melbourne University Medical Doctor student and are looking for a Scholarly Selective Project we do have projects on offer. Check the Scholarly Selective Project Website for the most recent updates.

More information

For more information call 8345 6682 and ask for the student placement coordinator.

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