Learning Objectives: Understand the value of using the Internet to provide interactive tobacco intervention training for health professionals.
Abstract:
Problem/Objective:To convert a health care professional training program in tobacco cessation intervention into a website to improve the program's usability and ease of deployment.
Methods:The successful National Cancer Institute slide/lecture program, “How to Help Your Patients Be Tobacco Free” (Mecklenburg 1998, revised 2000) (which included principles from the Public Health Service's Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence), was converted into a comprehensive, web-based training program: TobaccoFreePatients.com. The original lecture was updated, expanded, and translated to language and graphics suitable for online learning. The resulting courses include: Basic Interventions (also suitable for training staff), Team Approach, Nicotine Addiction, Pharmacotherapy, and several case-based courses that illustrate the interventions in practice and address the different needs of specific patient populations. A Resources section includes links, printable forms, and educational materials.
This Internet education solution has several advantages over the slide/lecture presentation. Few post-development costs are incurred and the material can be updated more readily. Health care providers can take courses and refer back to them at their convenience. Continuing education credit is obtained for free with no waiting.
A prototype version of this program was evaluated by 21 medical residents using a pretest/post-test methodology.
Results:Knowledge and attitudes toward self-efficacy improved significantly and satisfaction levels were high.
Conclusions:A successful tobacco cessation intervention slide/lecture training program can be adapted for the Internet effectively, gaining advantages of convenience and lower cost for both the trainer and trainee as well as greater content depth.
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