Learning Objectives: 1) Describe the content and extent of tobacco control education in the curricula of acute care nurse practitioner programs in the United States.
Abstract: Objective:
To assess the content and extent of tobacco education in the curriculum of acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) programs in the United States.
METHODS:
A survey with 13 multiple- choice items was distributed to the coordinators of 72 acute care nurse practitioner programs in the United States. The survey was replicated and modified from previous research about tobacco dependence curricula in undergraduate medical education.
RESULTS:
Fifty (83%) ACNP programs responded to the survey. Twelve ACNP programs out of the initial 72 were identified as no longer existing. Overall, during an entire ACNP course of study, 70% of the participants reported that less than 3 hours of content on tobacco dependence was covered. The majority of the respondents (78%) reported that it was not required for students to teach smoking cessation techniques to patients and 94% do not provide opportunities for students to be certified as smoking cessation counselors. Over half of the respondents (60%) reported that the national guidelines for smoking cessation from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) were not used as a curriculum reference for tobacco content.
Discussion:
The majority of acute care nurse practitioner programs are briefly teaching tobacco content to students. More in-depth coverage is required to reduce tobacco dependence. Acute care nurse practitioners are in a prime position to intervene with tobacco dependence especially when patients are recovering from life threatening events. National recommendations for core tobacco curricula and national certifying boards to include tobacco questions on board exams should be developed and implemented.
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