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Evaluation of an Intensive Education Program on the Treatment of Tobacco-use Disorder for Pharmacists: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Tobacco use is one of the main causes of premature deaths and preventable diseases in Qatar. The aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to design, implement, and evaluate an intensive education program on tobacco-use treatment for pharmacists in Qatar. The study objectives are to assess the effectiveness of the program on pharmacists’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and perceived self-efficacy toward tobacco cessation. Methods: Community pharmacists practicing in Qatar were eligible for participation in the study. Consenting participants were randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. Participants in the intervention group received an intensive education program on treatment of tobacco-use disorder. A short didactic session on a non-tobacco-related topic was delivered to pharmacists in the control group. Outcomes were assessed using survey instruments. Results: Participants in the intervention group (n=57) achieved significantly higher total tobacco-related knowledge scores (mean=33 points) than those in the control group (n=37) (mean=24.5 points) with a p-value of <0.001. Post-intervention total knowledge scores were significantly higher than the baseline scores for participants who received intensive tobacco education with a mean difference of 6.6 points (p-value <0.001). Overall attitudes toward tobacco cessation and self-efficacy in tobacco cessation interventions were better in the group of pharmacists who received tobacco education compared to those who did not. For instance, 43.4% of pharmacists in the intervention group “strongly agreed” that their counseling will increase a patient’s likelihood of quitting tobacco use compared to 14.7% in the control group (p-value=0.014). Furthermore, 20.4% of pharmacists in the intervention group reported that they are “extremely confident” to use appropriate questions to ask patients when providing tobacco cessation counseling versus 5.9% in the control group (p-value=0.005). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that provision of an intensive educational program on the treatment of tobacco use disorders results in improved tobacco-related knowledge and self-efficacy in tobacco cessation interventions.