Evaluation of an online tobacco cessation course for health professions students.
OBJECTIVE
To implement and evaluate the impact of a semester-long, online, 1-credit elective course designed to promote tobacco cessation counseling proficiency among health professions students.


METHODS
Online technology was used to create an elective course devoted to tobacco cessation, modeled closely after the Rx for Change curriculum. Students from pharmacy, nursing, and other health disciplines enrolled in the course.


RESULTS
Students completed pretraining and posttraining survey instruments that assessed their self-reported skills and ability to counsel patients for tobacco cessation. Overall ability to counsel for tobacco cessation and each of the "5 A's" approach for comprehensive counseling (ask, advise, assess, assist, arrange) increased significantly from pretraining to posttraining (p < 0.001). Self-efficacy also increased from 2.2 to 4.1 (p < 0.001; on a 5-point scale).


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that an online tobacco cessation course improved student-reported ability and skills to counsel patients on tobacco cessation.
Schmelz
Andrew N
AN
School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Purdue University, W7555 Myers Building, Wishard Health Services, 1001 W. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202-2879, USA.
Nixon
Brandon
B
McDaniel
Anna
A
Hudmon
Karen Suchanek
KS
Zillich
Alan J
AJ
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D020375:Education, Distance; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D020340:Tobacco Use Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult