title: Tobacco education and counseling in obstetrics and gynecology clerkships: a survey of medical school program directors.
abstract: The 16,000 medical students completing OB/GYN clerkship programs each year provide a unique opportunity to motivate and mentor students in facilitating tobacco cessation. To determine the scope of current tobacco teaching in obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) education at US medical schools and to assess opportunities for including new tobacco teaching, a 28-question survey was administered to directors and assistant directors at US medical school OB/GYN clerkship programs. Surveys were completed at 71% of schools. Only 9% reported having at least 15 min of dedicated teaching time for improving tobacco cessation skills. Nearly three-fourths of respondents reported teaching students how to intervene to reduce smoking during a work-up in the OB/GYN clinic, but only 43% reported that students would know where to refer someone wishing to quit. Only a third of respondents reported teaching students both to intervene with and refer OB/GYN patients who smoke. These findings suggest that although medical students see many OB and GYN patients who smoke, they have few opportunities to learn comprehensive cessation skills during their clerkships.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zapka
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phelan
authors.forename: Tulin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Özcan
authors.forename: Katie Brooks
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Biello
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geller
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003376:Counseling / Q000193:education*; D003625:Data Collection; D006176:Gynecology / Q000193:education*; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000193:education*; D012577:Schools, Medical; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D014481:United States