Tobacco prevention education in a pediatric residency program

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Pediatric residency programs are crucial for training future healthcare providers.
• Effective tobacco cessation counseling by pediatricians can significantly impact long-term patient health.
• There is a need to assess the efficacy of targeted interventions within residency programs to enhance tobacco counseling skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a specific educational intervention on tobacco counseling by residents and faculty in a pediatric residency program.
• To assess changes in knowledge, confidence, and perceived barriers related to tobacco cessation counseling.
• To determine the durability of these changes over a six-month period.

Main Methods:

• An educational program comprising presentations, written materials, and a bulletin board was implemented.
• Residents and faculty completed pretests, posttests, and follow-up surveys at six months.
• The study was conducted in an urban, university-affiliated, county medical center.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in counseling skills and confidence among participants.
• Perceived barriers to counseling, including expertise, time, and effectiveness doubts, were reduced.
• No significant differences were found between posttest scores and six-month follow-up survey results, indicating sustained impact.

Conclusions:

• An educational program can effectively enhance the attitudes and behaviors of pediatric health professionals regarding tobacco use counseling.
• These improvements are sustained for at least six months post-intervention.
• Academic pediatric settings can successfully integrate and benefit from such tobacco intervention programs.