1. Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco Product Cessation: A Survey of Healthcare Providers' Opinions on Safety and Recommendation.
- Author
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Chinwong, Surarong, Penthinapong, Thitichaya, Tengcharoenphongthorn, Phitinan, Pingkaew, Siroj, Siriwattana, Khanchai, Phrommintikul, Arintaya, and Chinwong, Dujrudee
- Subjects
SMOKING cessation ,CROSS-sectional method ,SCALE analysis (Psychology) ,PATIENT safety ,MEDICAL personnel ,RESEARCH funding ,ELECTRONIC cigarettes ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,FISHER exact test ,LOGISTIC regression analysis ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,PHYSICIANS' attitudes ,WORK experience (Employment) ,ODDS ratio ,PROFESSIONS ,ATTITUDES of medical personnel ,ONE-way analysis of variance ,STATISTICS ,NURSES' attitudes ,TOBACCO products ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,DATA analysis software ,PSYCHOSOCIAL factors ,DENTISTS' attitudes ,PHARMACISTS' attitudes - Abstract
Background: This study aimed to: (1) assess healthcare providers' opinions on e-cigarette safety and compare them across professions; (2) evaluate providers' recommendations for e-cigarettes as a tobacco product cessation tool and identify any associations with their safety perceptions. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 760 healthcare professionals (January–March 2020). The survey included eight opinions on e-cigarette safety with five Likert-scale answers and a question on recommending them for tobacco product cessation. Results: Among 760 healthcare providers (173 physicians/dentists, 69 pharmacists, and 518 nurses), only 20% reported prior experience with tobacco product cessation counseling. Providers expressed uncertainty regarding e-cigarette safety (mean ± SD: 2.5 ± 0.7 on a 5-point Likert scale), with no significant differences between professions (p = 0.836). Similarly, e-cigarette recommendations for tobacco product cessation remained low across professions (13%, 85/637), with no significant differences found (p = 0.072). The recommendation of e-cigarettes for tobacco cessation is associated with perceived safety, lower respiratory irritation, lower coughing, a lower risk of cancer, and a lower risk for secondhand smokers when compared to traditional cigarettes (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Most healthcare providers were unsure about the safety of e-cigarettes; about 13% of providers suggested using them for tobacco product cessation, with safety perceptions influencing recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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