title: E-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids: a survey among practitioners in Italy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe experiences with and beliefs about e-cigarettes as safe and useful aids for smoking cessation among healthcare professionals providing smoking cessation services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a cross-sectional design, anonymous structured questionnaires were completed by 179 healthcare professionals in public smoking cessation clinics across 20 regions in Italy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Service providers reported that considerably more smokers made inquiries about e-cigarettes in 2014 than in 2013. The most frequent inquiries concerned the ingredients, safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids. Clients used e-cigarettes to quit smoking, cut down the number of conventional cigarettes smoked, have a safe alternative to smoking, and protect their health while continuing to smoke. More than 60 % of service providers reported favourable beliefs about the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes, and believed that e-cigarettes are as effective as other smoking cessation aids, including pharmacotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite limited empirical evidence, service providers in Italy viewed e-cigarettes, as safe and effective smoking cessation aids. More concerted efforts are needed to improve knowledge about e-cigarettes among service providers, to guide their clinical practice and decision-making with respect to e-cigarettes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, S10 2BQ, UK. L.Lazuras@shu.ac.uk.|Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, 'La Sapienza' University of Rome, Rome, Italy. L.Lazuras@shu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lambros
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lazuras
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, 'La Sapienza' University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, 'La Sapienza' University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grano
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, 'La Sapienza' University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lucidi
mesh_terms: D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Beliefs; Electronic cigarette; Safety; Smoking cessation