Background The United States Department of Health and Human Services reports that overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, has increased 103-fold since 1999, with the largest increase starting in 2019. Legalized in Georgia in July 2023, fentanyl test strips (FTS) are an underutilized resource in the fight against the opioid epidemic. As a novel harm-reduction tool, it is crucial to educate future physicians on the importance and uses of FTS. Near-peer teaching is a technique in medical school education that provides advantages to both the trainee and instructor.

Methods Pre-clerkship students engaged in a 1-hour training session, incorporated into the harm-reduction curriculum, focusing on FTS and Narcan. The session involved a knowledge-based lecture on the “Hows and Whys” of FTS and hands-on demonstration using an FTS. Students received a survey before and after the workshop, which consisted of 5 questions, separated by knowledge and attitudes. These results were analyzed using t-tests to identify significant differences in both knowledge and attitudes.

Results Overall, 144 pre-clerkship medical students completed the pre- and post-surveys, which showed a significant growth of knowledge regarding legality, possible applications, and usages (p < 0.001). Additionally, students indicated improved perceptions towards the use of FTS, especially the use not only among high-risk patient populations but also as a broad harm-reduction measure in a diverse patient population, including non-chronic or recreational drug users (p < 0.001).

Conclusion Through near-peer teaching and demonstration, pre-clerkship medical students improved their knowledge of and attitudes towards both FTS generally and the importance of FTS in addressing the opioid crisis and overdose deaths. As a preventative, inexpensive, and relatively new strategy to fight the opioid epidemic, it is vital to educate medical students on FTS across the United States. Through a 1-hour training workshop, other healthcare schools and residency programs can easily practice preventative medicine and contribute to saving lives against the addictive forces of opioids. This would greatly expand the number of students and healthcare workers trained to administer harm reduction tactics, such as FTS. Furthermore, a decreased knowledge gap and positive improvement in attitude towards FTS suggests that near-peer teaching is an effective instrument that should be utilized in medical education more often. Additionally, we recognize that its use among multiple graduate schools would further the integration of and partnership between many healthcare professionals.