Effect of training and smoking status of physicians on smoking cessation practices in Egypt

Abstract

Introduction Tobacco smoke contains a deadly mix of chemicals. Training in smoking cessation (SC) increases physician success in helping patients quit smoking. This study aims to assess physicians’ practices and attitudes about SC counselling and to find the effect of training and smoking status of physicians on them. Patients and methods Self-administered questionnaires were distributed among physicians targeting socio-demographic data, physicians’ attitude, and practices regarding SC interventions. Results The study included 1020 physicians distributed over 11 of 27 Egyptian governorates. The mean age of the study participants was 40.02±11.5 years. Current smoking frequency among the study participants was 16%. Only 53.9% of the participants received training on SC. Trained and nonsmoking physicians revealed better SC practices than their counterparts. Conclusions Training has an evident influence on SC practices. On the contrary, smoking has less evident effect on counselling practices. It is therefore important to adopt a national strategy to ensure that all health care providers receive training in SC counselling in at least one phase of their clinical practice.

Keywords

• effect
• physicians
• smoking cessation
• training