Evaluation of an Intensive Education Program on the Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder for Pharmacists: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Summary

In Qatar, tobacco use is one of the main causes of premature deaths and preventable diseases. As per the 2013 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 12.1% of adults and 20.2% of men in Qatar smoke tobacco, and 55.4% of this smoke an average of 16 cigarettes or more per day. Moreover, 15.7% of school students aged 13 to 15 years currently use some form of tobacco according to the 2013 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). In Qatar, tobacco-related diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancers are highly prevalent. In an effort to reduce tobacco use, Qatar has ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and has implemented many tobacco control initiatives. In spite of these measures, tobacco use is still rising in Qatar. Pharmacists practicing in retail/community pharmacy are often the first port of call for individuals requiring health advice in general. Evidence has proven that they have a pivotal role in health promotion and disease prevention including tobacco cessation. Hence, pharmacists have excellent opportunities to reduce tobacco use in Qatar. Yet, ambulatory and community pharmacists in Qatar are not sufficiently contributing to tobacco control. Based on published data, only 21% of community pharmacists in Qatar always or most of the time ask patients about their smoking status. Furthermore, when asked about their smoking cessation training, 89% of pharmacists did not receive any kind of education or training about smoking cessation counseling in the past. In an effort to build the capacity of pharmacists in Qatar, the aim of the proposed study is to design, implement and evaluate an intensive education program on tobacco treatment for pharmacists in Qatar. The study will be a prospective randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of the education program on pharmacists' tobacco cessation-related knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and skills.

Conditions

• Smoking Cessation

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

intensive multi-disciplinary education program on tobacco treatment for pharmacists

Participants in the intervention group will participate in an intensive education program delivered by a multi-disciplinary group of educators, researchers, and clinicians with expertise in tobacco control and tobacco dependence treatment. The program will be delivered over 4 days (run over 2 weekends) with an average of eight contact hours per day (a total of 32 contact hours) at Qatar University.

OTHER

Control arm

Participants in control arm will receive a non-tobacco related training or educational session

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hamad Medical Corporation

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

  collaborator OTHER

• International Islamic University Malaysia

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Auckland, New Zealand

  collaborator OTHER

• Qatar University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-09-14

Primary Completion

2019-09-30

Completion

2019-09-30

Countries

• Qatar

Study Locations