title: Electronic cigarettes: a survey of perceived patient use and attitudes among members of the British thoracic oncology group.
abstract: Smoking cessation following lung cancer diagnosis has been found to improve several patient outcomes. Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is now prevalent within Great Britain, however, use and practice among patients with lung cancer has not as yet been explored. The current study aims to explore e-cigarette use among patients and examine current practice among clinicians. The results have important implications for future policy and practice.
  
  
  
  Members of The British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG) were contacted via several e-circulations (N = 2,009), requesting them to complete an online survey. Of these, 7.7 % (N = 154) completed the survey, which explored participant demographics and smoking history, perceptions of patient e-cigarette use, practitioner knowledge regarding sources of guidance pertaining to e-cigarettes, and practitioner advice.
  
  
  
  Practitioners frequently observed e-cigarette use among patients with lung cancer. The majority of practitioners (81.4 %) reported responding to patient queries pertaining to e-cigarettes within the past year; however, far fewer (21.0 %) felt confident providing patients with e-cigarette advice. Practitioner confidence was found to differentiate by gender (p = 0.012) and employment speciality (p = 0.030), with nurses reporting particularly low levels of confidence in advising. The results also demonstrate extensive variability regarding the practitioner advice content.
  
  
  
  The results demonstrate that patients refer to practitioners as a source of e-cigarette guidance, yet few practitioners feel confident advising. The absence of evidence-based guidance may have contributed towards the exhibited inconsistencies in practitioner advice. The findings highlight that training should be delivered to equip practitioners with the knowledge and confidence to advise patients effectively; this could subsequently improve smoking cessation rates and patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Whelan Building, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, , L69 3GB, UK. sherratt@liverpool.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Frances C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Sherratt
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Tom Reilly Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Newson
authors.affiliation: Roy Castle Lung Cancer Research Programme, Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, The Apex Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK.
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Field
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000072103:Oncologists / Q000639:trends*; D061214:Patient Safety; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012955:Societies, Medical; D006113:United Kingdom; D000072137:Vaping / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cessation; Electronic cigarettes; Lung cancer; Oncologists; Smoking; e-cigarettes