Impact of Online Education on Nurses' Delivery of Smoking Cessation Interventions With Implications for Evidence-Based Practice.
BACKGROUND
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Europe and worldwide. Nurses, if properly educated, can contribute to decreasing the burden of tobacco use in the region by helping smokers quit smoking.


OBJECTIVE
To assess: (a) the feasibility of an online program to educate nurses in Czech Republic and Poland on evidence-based smoking cessation interventions for patients and (b) self-reported changes in practices related to consistently (usually or always) providing smoking cessation interventions to smokers, before and 3 months after participation in the program.


METHODS
A prospective single-group pre-post design.


RESULTS
A total of 280 nurses from Czech Republic and 156 from Poland completed baseline and follow-up surveys. At 3 months, nurses were significantly more likely to provide smoking cessation interventions to patients who smoke and refer patients for cessation services (p < .01). Nurses significantly improved their views about the importance of nursing involvement in tobacco control.


CONCLUSIONS
Education about tobacco control can make a difference in clinical practice, but ongoing support is needed to maintain these changes. Health system changes can also facilitate the expectation that delivering evidence-based smoking cessation interventions should be routine nursing care.


CONCLUSIONS
Educating nurses on cessation interventions and tobacco control is pivotal to decrease tobacco-related disparities, disease, and death. Online methods provide an accessible way to reach a large number of nurses.
Associate Professor in Residence, School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Stella A
SA
Bialous
Professor and Interim Dean, Lulu Wolf-Hassenplug Endowed Chair in Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Linda
L
Sarna
Project Director, School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Marjorie J
MJ
Wells
Statistician, David Geffin School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jenny K
JK
Brook
Associate Professor and director, Centre for Tobacco-Dependent of the 3rd Medical Department-Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, and Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
Eva
E
Kralikova
First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital, Society for Treatment of Tobacco Dependent, Prague, Czech Republic.
Alexandra
A
Pankova
Professor and Plenipotentiary of Director of the Cancer Center & Institute of Oncology in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention; Head of WHO Collaborating Centre, the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland.
Witold
W
Zatoński
Deputy Head of WHO Collaborating Centre, The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center & Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland.
Krzysztof
K
Przewozniak
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D018153:Czech Republic; D004493:Education / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D000078329:Workforce
Czech Republic; Poland; attitudes about smoking cessation; nurses; nursing; online education; smoking cessation; tobacco use