The Effectiveness of Tobacco Intervention Education for Health Professional Students' Health Promotion Practice: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Review Question/Objective The Review objective is to examine the effectiveness of entry level programme education regarding smoking prevention and tobacco use interventions on health professional student practice in promoting client health. The specific review question to be addressed is: What is the effect of entry level tobacco dependence education on health professional students’ knowledge and skills, selfefficacy, and performance of tobacco prevention and cessation interventions? Inclusion Criteria Types of Participants The participants are health professional students undertaking the following programs of study: nursing (registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, advanced practice nurses, licensed practical nurses); midwifery ; medicine; dentistry; dental hygiene; dental therapy; pharmacy; respiratory therapy; occupational therapy; physical therapy; speech language therapy; optometry; social work; psychology; chiropractic therapy; and naturopathic medicine. Studies that evaluate practicing healthcare providers who are not students in entry level educational programs will be excluded. Health profession student programs whose graduates can practice without qualifying for a license (non regulated disciplines) will be excluded. Programs where graduates do not have daily, direct interactions with clients will be excluded. Advanced practice nurses and medical residents provide specialised care to patients with health concerns commonly linked to tobacco use. Studies reporting evaluations of curricula among the following post graduate medical speciality programs will be included in the review: Anesthesia; Cardiac Surgery; Cardiology; Community Medicine; Critical Care Medicine; Dermatology; Endocrinology and Metabolism; Family Medicine; General Medicine; Emergency Medicine; Medical Oncology; Nephrology; Neurology; Obstetrics /Gynaecology; Ophthalmology; Orthopaedic Surgery; Otolaryngology; Paediatrics; Plastic Surgery; Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology; Respiratory Medicine; Surgery and Vascular Surgery. Types of Intervention(s) This review will consider all studies that report the implementation and evaluation of an entry level program, curricular activity or component in smoking prevention and treating tobacco use and dependence, and its impact on student practice in promoting client health. Comparisons of different approaches to the educational intervention (including pre- and post-training results) to usual or no training will be included. The settings will include post-secondary institutions such as universities or colleges, and will include undergraduate or pre-licensure training, postgraduate medical speciality training, and advanced practice nursing programmes at the master’s level.TRUNCATED AT 350 WORDS