Effectiveness of an Online Training Program on Brief Tobacco Intervention (BTI) for Nurses: A Quasi-Experimental...

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths. The training of professionals on brief tobacco interventions (BTIs) increases the effectiveness of these interventions.

To assess the effectiveness of an online training program on BTI based on the 5As and 5Rs model in acquiring anti-tobacco brief advice competencies among nurses.

Quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design, with a control group and without random assignment. In the experimental group (EG), online training was provided in three sections: BTI theoretical content and methodology, clinical scenario videos, and feedback. Each scenario assessed the 5As and 5Rs as a validated instrument (BTI-Prof^(C)). The control group (CG) only assessed the three videos of clinical scenarios. In both groups, competence was measured at the following points in time: T0 (before the training), T1 (at the end of the training), and T2 (after 90 days). The efficacy of the intervention was measured through a two-way ANOVA, and the variation rate was calculated from T0 to T1 and from T0 to T2.

236 nurses participated (157 EG; 79 CG). The mean age was 42.9 years, and 76.7% were women. There was a significant group*time interaction in the three cases, indicating that the online BTI training increases the competence of these professionals in clinical scenario 1 (F = 10.210; p ≤ 0.001; η² = 0.081), clinical scenario 2 (F = 6.235; p = 0.002; η² = 0.051), and clinical scenario 3 (F = 11.271; p ≤ 0.001; η² = 0.090).

A brief, asynchronous, and online intervention using standardized video-based cases is effective in improving nurses' BTI competence. This type of training can be a useful option for the National Health System as part of a global and continuous strategy for nurses to perform BTI.

An asynchronous online training program provides nurses with standardized, evidence-based tools to implement brief tobacco interventions in routine care, offering a scalable and practical solution to strengthen preventive strategies in health systems.