Impact of smoking cessation training for community pharmacists in Indonesia

Community pharmacists play an important role in tobacco control and adequate training on smoking cessation is essential.

A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was used. A one-day workshop on smoking cessation organized by Indonesian Pharmacists Association as part of PCE program was offered to 133 community pharmacists. The workshop consisted of a 3-hour lecture and a 3-hour role-play session. Pre-training and post-training surveys assessed the impact of training on parameters including knowledge, perceived role and self-efficacy with respect to smoking cessation counseling practices. Intention and ability to perform counseling using the 5A framework was assessed after training only.

After PCE, knowledge score significantly increased from 24.9±2.58 to 35.7±3.54 (p<0.001). Perceived role and self-efficacy in smoking cessation counseling also significantly increased from 25.8±2.73 to 28.7±2.24, and 27.6±4.44 to 32.6±3.63, respectively (p<0.001). After the workshop, most participants were willing to ask, advise, and assess patients who ready to quit, but were still less likely to assist in quitting plans and arranging follow up counseling. More than 75% pharmacists were able to perform cessation counseling and 65% of them can completely perform a 5A brief intervention.

PCE can enhance pharmacists' knowledge, perceived role, self-efficacy in cessation counseling practices, and create willingness and ability to perform cessation counseling. Future training is recommended to improve skills in assisting quitting plans and arranging follow up.