An Intervention to Improve Evidence-based Nicotine Prescribing by Primary Care Physicians

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Clinical Medicine
• Addiction Science

Background:

• Combination nicotine replacement therapy (cNRT) is highly effective for tobacco cessation but underutilized by primary care physicians (PCPs).
• A knowledge gap among PCPs may contribute to the infrequent prescription of cNRT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a brief educational intervention aimed at increasing cNRT prescribing by PCPs.
• To evaluate changes in PCP knowledge, attitudes, and prescribing behaviors regarding cNRT.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post study design was implemented in a large integrated health system.
• A 30-minute virtual training on cNRT was delivered to PCPs, followed by a 6-week communication campaign.
• Chi-square analysis compared cNRT prescribing rates in the 6 months before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Post-training, 93% of physicians reported increased confidence, 91% favorable attitudes, and 88% intention to prescribe cNRT.
• The number of patients receiving cNRT prescriptions increased from 9% to 23% post-intervention (P < 0.001).
• The proportion of physicians prescribing cNRT rose from 23% to 37% (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• A brief, virtual educational intervention effectively increased cNRT prescribing among PCPs.
• Addressing prescriber knowledge gaps can enhance the utilization of effective tobacco cessation therapies.
• This intervention demonstrates a scalable approach to improving cNRT adoption in primary care settings.