An evaluation of the Ulster Cancer Foundation's Nurses and Smoking Package and its impact on student nurses

The Ulster Cancer Foundation's teaching package Nurses and Smoking was evaluated by testing nurses' knowledge and skills in the area of smoking-related health education. As smoking is still a major cause of mortality and morbidity, does the nurses' training equip them with an adequate knowledge of its consequences? Questionnaire data, together with material from in-depth interviews, were analysed and pre- and post-package results produced significant differences (P less than 0.001) between the experimental and control groups, suggesting that a teaching package significantly improves a nurse's knowledge and expertise with regard to smoking and its effect on both patients and their environment.