Tobacco Ties

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The Tobacco Ties video and Facilitator Guide are designed to be used formatively to instruct clinicians and health professions learners how to use culturally sensitive, patient-centered communication skills to effectively counsel patients to stop using tobacco. The 9-minute video was independently scored by a standardized patient instructor (SPI) who has been working in tobacco cessation counseling for over 20 years. Using the Tobacco Intervention Risk Factor Interview Scale (TIRFIS), the SPI scored all items as 5s (on a 1–5 scale) with the exception of two. Using the Tobacco Beliefs Management Scale/ Tobacco Cultural Concerns Scale, they also scored all items as 5s (1–5) with the exception of 3 items. Certain skills were intentionally weak or omitted in the film in order to provide learners with the opportunity to discriminate between highly effective skill performance and less effective performance on individual skills. Methods Tobacco Ties can be used with a wide variety of health professions learners. Currently it is used to prepare first-year PA students for a tobacco cessation counseling standardized patient encounter and to introduce third-year medical students to effective counseling skills in the family medicine clerkship. Results Students rated the tobacco cessation standardized-patient encounter with first-year students and the didactic sessions, which included viewing and evaluating Tobacco Ties, as an overall score of 3.4 on a scale of 0–4. Discussion Health care providers play a critical role in addressing tobacco use. This film is a successful teaching tool for facilitating understanding and communication between clinicians and their patients.

Keywords

• Smoker's Cough
• Tobacco Use Cessation
• Smoking
• Nicotine
• Asthma