Tobacco education in US physician assistant programs.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• Health degree programs, including Physician Assistant (PA) programs, often lack comprehensive tobacco cessation education within their core curricula.
• Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, necessitating adequate training for healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current extent of tobacco education in PA programs.
• To identify educational methods, perceived importance and adequacy of tobacco education, and barriers to enhancing tobacco-related content.
• To gauge interest in a national initiative to improve tobacco cessation training.

Main Methods:

• A national survey was conducted among 132 PA programs.
• Data collected included hours of tobacco education, teaching methods, and perceived barriers.
• A response rate of 75% (n=99) was achieved.

Main Results:

• The median tobacco education provided in PA programs was 150 minutes.
• Primary barriers to enhanced training include limited curriculum time and insufficient access to evidence-based resources.
• A significant majority (two-thirds) of programs expressed interest in participating in a national effort to improve tobacco cessation training.

Conclusions:

• Physician Assistant (PA) programs require enhanced tobacco cessation education to equip graduates effectively.
• Addressing tobacco use is essential for PAs to combat the leading cause of preventable mortality.
• There is a clear need and willingness for a coordinated national approach to strengthen tobacco cessation training in PA education.