Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Toward Smoking Cessation among Hospital Pharmacists in Taiwan

Empowering healthcare providers through smoking cessation training in Malaysia: a preintervention and postintervention evaluation on the improvement of knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy

OBJECTIVES

Healthcare providers are ideally positioned to advise their patients to quit smoking by providing effective smoking cessation intervention. Thus, we evaluate the effectiveness of a 1-day training programme in changing the knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy of healthcare providers in smoking cessation intervention.

METHODS

A prepost study design was conducted in 2017. The 8-hour Smoking Cessation Organising, Planning and Execution (SCOPE) training comprised lectures, practical sessions and role-play sessions to 218 healthcare providers. A validated evaluation tool, Providers' Smoking Cessation Training Evaluation, was administered to assess the impact of training on knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy on smoking cessation intervention.

RESULTS

After SCOPE training, the knowledge score increased significantly from 7.96±2.34 to 10.35±1.57 (p<0.001). Attitude and self-efficacy in smoking cessation intervention also increased significantly from 34.32±4.12 to 37.04±3.92 (p<0.001) and 40.31±8.61 to 54.67±7.45 (p<0.001) respectively. Pretraining and post-training scores improved significantly for all professions, and each measure, particularly self-efficacy.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that SCOPE training could improve healthcare providers' knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy on smoking cessation intervention. Future training is recommended to equip healthcare providers with current knowledge, positive attitude and high self-efficacy to integrate what they have learned into practice successfully.

Prevalence of tobacco use in healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To estimate tobacco use prevalence in healthcare workers (HCW) by country income level, occupation and sex, and compare the estimates with the prevalence in the general population.

METHODS

We systematically searched five databases; Medline, EMBASE, CINHAL Plus, CAB Abstracts, and LILACS for original studies published between 2000 and March 2016 without language restriction. All primary studies that reported tobacco use in any category of HCW were included. Study extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by three reviewers, using a standardised data extraction and quality appraisal form. We performed random effect meta-analyses to obtain prevalence estimates by World Bank (WB) country income level, sex, and occupation. Data on prevalence of tobacco use in the general population were obtained from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Health Observatory website. The review protocol registration number on PROSPERO is CRD42016041231.

RESULTS

229 studies met our inclusion criteria, representing 457,415 HCW and 63 countries: 29 high-income countries (HIC), 21 upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), and 13 lower-middle-and-low-income countries (LMLIC). The overall pooled prevalence of tobacco use in HCW was 21%, 31% in males and 17% in females. Highest estimates were in male doctors in UMIC and LMLIC, 35% and 45%, and female nurses in HIC and UMIC, 21% and 25%. Heterogeneity was high (I2 > 90%). Country level comparison suggest that in HIC male HCW tend to have lower prevalence compared with males in the general population while in females the estimates were similar. Male and female HCW in UMIC and LMLIC tend to have similar or higher prevalence rates relative to their counterparts in the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

HCW continue to use tobacco at high rates. Tackling HCW tobacco use requires urgent action as they are at the front line for tackling tobacco use in their patients.

Smoking cessation support: Indian nursing students' practices, attitudes and perceived barriers

BACKGROUND

Tobacco use is a significant global health issue. Studies that examined nursing students' attitudes towards smoking cessation support were limited from India.

AIM

To assess undergraduate nursing students' practices, beliefs, attitudes and perceived barriers towards smoking cessation support.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted among undergraduate nursing students (n=178) using self-reported questionnaires.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that a majority (68.5%) of the students inquire about their clients' smoking habits and 78.1% of them advise patients who are smokers about the health effects of smoking. Although student nurses hold positive attitudes in the enthusiasm domain (28.8 ± 7.29), the majority of them lack self-efficacy towards smoking cessation support (14.2 ± 4.70). 'Patient's lack of motivation' (89.3%), 'lack of training/knowledge' (88.2%) and 'lack of communication skills' (77.5%) were the major barriers encountered by the participants during tobacco counselling.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that there is an urgent need to include a tobacco-control curriculum at undergraduate level to improve their competency in giving smoking cessation support.