Online Tobacco Cessation Training and Competency Assessment for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners are increasingly integrated into US healthcare, serving many tobacco users.
• Unlike conventional practitioners, CAM providers have historically lacked training in evidence-based tobacco cessation brief interventions (BIs).
• Web-based training offers a scalable solution for disseminating cessation interventions, but competency assessment remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot a web-based tobacco cessation training program tailored for CAM practitioners.
• To integrate US Public Health Service Tobacco Dependence Treatment Guideline-based practices into CAM clinical settings.
• To establish a foundation for future trials evaluating the impact of this training on clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Adapted an existing in-person tobacco cessation BI training for online delivery.
• Developed and pilot-validated a web-based tool for assessing CAM practitioner competency in tobacco cessation BIs.
• Pilot tested the web-based training with 120 CAM practitioners (acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists) assessing usability, acceptability, knowledge, self-efficacy, and competency.
• Conducted formative research on factors influencing practitioner tobacco cessation behaviors.

Main Results:

• Web-based training and competency assessment tool development are complete, with 203 practitioners enrolled.
• Training completion rates were lower than anticipated (36.9%), requiring over-enrollment.
• Follow-up data collection is ongoing; data analysis will commence upon completion.

Conclusions:

• Understanding factors influencing CAM practitioner tobacco intervention behaviors is crucial for maximizing their role in tobacco cessation.
• Knowledge regarding conventional practitioner adoption of cessation behaviors cannot be directly applied to CAM practitioners due to practice differences.
• This study aims to expand the tobacco cessation and health promotion infrastructure by engaging CAM practitioners.