Communication Between US Physicians and Patients Regarding Electronic Cigarette Use.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Clinical Medicine
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• Physicians are crucial for patient smoking cessation.
• Physician communication patterns regarding e-cigarettes are not well understood.
• E-cigarettes are increasingly discussed in the context of tobacco harm reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess physician-patient communication regarding e-cigarettes.
• To identify factors influencing physicians' recommendations of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.

Main Methods:

• A national cross-sectional survey of 2058 board-certified physicians was conducted in 2018-2019.
• Data included physician demographics, tobacco use, specialty, harm-reduction beliefs, and self-reported e-cigarette communication.
• Hypothetical clinical scenarios were used to evaluate communication.

Main Results:

• Nearly 70% of physicians reported being asked about e-cigarettes by patients; 21.7% reported recommending them.
• Pulmonologists, cardiologists, and those with harm-reduction beliefs were more likely to recommend e-cigarettes.
• Physicians who believed all tobacco products were equally harmful were less likely to recommend e-cigarettes.

Conclusions:

• Physicians may recommend e-cigarettes for smoking cessation in specific patient groups.
• Harm-reduction beliefs significantly influence e-cigarette recommendations.
• Increased physician education on e-cigarette efficacy for cessation is warranted.