Impact of a webcast on nurses' delivery of tobacco dependence treatment.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate an educational programme about nurses' role in tobacco dependence treatment, and its webcast component, on the long-term impact of increasing the frequency of nurses' self-reported changes in practice related to delivery of smoking cessation interventions.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals' knowledge about evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment using the 5As framework (Ask about tobacco use, Advise users to quit, Assess willingness to quit, Assist in making a quit plan and Arrange for follow-up, including referral to a quitline) is essential to increase smoking cessation rates in the United States.

DESIGN: A 6-month pre-post design.

METHODS: A convenience sample of nurses (N = 283) from Kentucky and Louisiana was provided access to the webcast and printed toolkit. Responses from those who completed an online survey at baseline, and at 3 or 6 months postimplementation of the educational programme were included in an analysis of changes in the consistent (always/usually) delivery of the 5As plus referral to the quitline.

RESULTS: After 3 months, the intervention had a significant impact on increasing nurses' reports of consistently providing the 5As to patients who smoked, which was largely sustained at 6 months. Nurses who viewed the webcast were three times more likely to refer smokers to a quitline at 3 months; and four times more likely at 6 months than those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS: An online educational programme, plus printed toolkit about tobacco dependence treatment increased nurses' delivery of smoking cessation interventions over time. This study provided preliminary evidence that including a webcast in a nurse-targeted educational programme could significantly increase the proportion of nurses who referred smokers to a quitline beyond the benefit of access to printed materials and web-based resources.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Distance learning is a feasible mechanism for enhancing nurses' involvement in tobacco dependence treatment and promoting evidence-based clinical practice.