Pharmacists' smoking cessation practices: relationship to their knowledge and skills, attitudes, and perceptions of roles.
OBJECTIVE
To assess factors associated with pharmacists' practices regarding patients' smoking and smoking cessation.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis.


METHODS
Four Canadian provinces (Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island).


METHODS
Practicing community pharmacists (n = 906; weighted n = 897).


METHODS
Population-based mailed questionnaire survey with 72% response rate.


METHODS
Bivariate and multivariate relationships between 12 clinical interventions regarding smoking and smoking cessation and 7 domains: basic pharmacologic knowledge; applied health science knowledge and skills; positive, negative and economic-related attitudes toward smoking cessation; perceptions of pharmacists' roles with patients who smoke: assessing and motivating patients; assisting, referring and following up.


RESULTS
Basic pharmacologic knowledge and applied health science knowledge and skills were independently related to 12 and 10 interventions, respectively. Positive attitudes toward smoking cessation were independently related to 8 interventions. Negative attitudes and economic-related attitudes toward smoking cessation were each independently related to only 1 intervention. Perceptions of pharmacists' roles with respect to "assessing and motivating patients," and "assisting, referring, and following up" were independently related to 8 and 3 interventions, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Initiatives to increase tobacco-related knowledge and skills and enhance positive attitudes and role perceptions with respect to smoking and smoking cessation may promote interventions by community pharmacists with patients who smoke.
Ashley
Mary Jane
MJ
Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. jane.ashley@utoronto.ca
Brewster
Joan M
JM
Victor
J Charles
JC
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004512:Education, Pharmacy; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology*; D024382:Professional Role; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires