Patient-specific academic detailing for smoking cessation: feasibility study

To describe and to determine the feasibility of a patient-specific academic detailing (PAD) smoking cessation (SC) program in a primary care setting.

Descriptive cohort feasibility study.

Hamilton, Ont.

Pharmacists, physicians, nurse practitioners, and their patients.

Integrated pharmacists received basic academic detailing training and education on SC and then delivered PAD to prescribers using structured verbal education and written materials. Data were collected using structured forms.

Five main feasibility criteria were generated based on Canadian academic detailing programs: PAD coordinator time to train pharmacists less than 40 hours; median time of SC education per pharmacist less than 20 hours; median time per PAD session less than 60 minutes for initial visit; percentage of prescribers receiving PAD within 3 months greater than 50%; and number of new SC referrals to pharmacists at 6 months more than 10 patients per 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) pharmacist (total of approximately 30 patients).

Eight pharmacists (5.8 FTE) received basic academic detailing training and education on SC PAD. Forty-eight physicians and 9 nurse practitioners consented to participate in the study. The mean PAD coordinator training time was 29.1 hours. The median time for SC education was 3.1 hours. The median times for PAD sessions were 15 and 25 minutes for an initial visit and follow-up visit, respectively. The numbers of prescribers who had received PAD at 3 and 6 months were 50 of 64 (78.1%) and 57 of 64 (89.1%), respectively. The numbers of new SC referrals at 3 and 6 months were 11 patients per FTE pharmacist (total of 66 patients) and 34 patients per FTE pharmacist (total of 200 patients), respectively.

This study met the predetermined feasibility criteria with respect to the management, resources, process, and scientific components. Further study is warranted to determine whether PAD is more effective than conventional academic detailing.