Increasing Providers\u27 Intent to Perform E-Cigarette Screening in the Adolescent Population

Abstract

Youth e-cigarette use has increased significantly in recent years. E-cigarette use has many negative health effects supported by the literature including increased risk of respiratory infections, nicotine addiction, and the potential for cancer. E-cigarette screening creates an opportunity for patient education and counseling, as well as potentially decreases e-cigarette use. However, healthcare providers do not regularly screen adolescents for e-cigarette use. According to previous studies, the main barrier to e-cigarette screening is healthcare providers’ knowledge regarding e-cigarette health effects. This project sought to increase healthcare providers’ intent to screen for e-cigarette use in the adolescent population, through the provision of an educational offering which highlighted the literature to date regarding e-cigarette health effects. Healthcare providers were recruited in collaboration with the University of Kansas Area Health Education Center. Participants’ e-cigarette screening practices were measured before, after, and six-weeks following the educational offering. According to the findings, the study indicated that improving providers’ e-cigarette knowledge led to an increased provider intent to screen for e-cigarette use, increased provider willingness to provide patient educational materials, and increased provider inclination to counsel against e-cigarette use, which could ultimately lead to decreased e-cigarette use in the adolescent population

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