The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Physicians play a key role in smoking cessation, but few studies have examined the relationship between tobacco-related education and physician knowledge and confidence in advising and treating patients who smoke.

Methods: We surveyed 1600 Canadian family physicians and pediatricians (response rate = 65%, n=926) using a mailed questionnaire on tobacco-related training and practice. We examined physicians' tobacco-related practices and confidence in their tobacco-related skills according to their previous tobacco training. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel Chi-Square tests were used, controlling for tobacco control advocacy.

Results: Physicians reporting any training were significantly more likely to report being “confident” in advising patients about: the effects of smoking (p=0.010), the use of NRT (p<0.001), the use of bupropion (p<0.001), behavioural strategies for quitting (p<0.001), the effects of SHS on adults' health (p<0.001), the effects of SHS on children's health (p=0.039), and referring patients to quitlines (p=0.021) and following up on patients' quit progress (p<0.001). Furthermore, physicians with any form of training were significantly more likely to ask patients about their smoking, and advise patients about both pharmacologic and behavioural smoking cessation strategies (p<0.001). Physicians who had taken a seminar, workshop, or continuing education were consistently more likely to report confidence in their tobacco-related skills and more likely assist their patients to quit smoking than physicians with other forms of training.

Canadian physicians exposed to tobacco-related education appear to be benefiting from this education and putting the skills learned into practice.