Healthcare Provider Training for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence

Audience: Those interested in tobacco control policy, advocacy, and treatment and training healthcare providers in diverse settings will benefit from this presentation.

Key Points: Healthcare providers have an extensive reach into the smoking population, with the potential to impact a large number of tobacco users with evidence-based treatments.  Yet, convenient, practical training is seldom offered, and little is known about the long-term effects of brief training on healthcare providers’ attitudes and behaviors. We delivered a one-hour, interactive training in the 5A’s to physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare providers (n=377). Training was provided via outreach, interactive video, and Webcasts. Healthcare providers were assessed at three points: Pre-training, post-training, and 6-12 months after training. Outcomes included provider tobacco-related attitudes, behaviors, and referral to statewide tobacco dependence treatment services. Repeated measures ANOVA compared attitudes at pre-, post-, and six-month follow-up. Paired-sample t-tests compared behaviors and referral at pre-training and 6-12 month. Healthcare providers demonstrated increases in positive attitudes, behaviors, and referrals (p < .001). These positive changes appear to persist 6-12 months after training. 

Educational Experience: This interactive presentation of highly practical information will illustrate the impact of systematically providing brief training to healthcare providers in the treatment of tobacco dependence.

Benefits: These results indicate that training is associated with long-term changes in healthcare providers’ behaviors. Healthcare providers with training in the brief, evidence-based treatment of tobacco dependence are likely to treat patients for tobacco dependence more frequently and with more success than providers who lack training.