Register for email alerts and news feeds:
This journal | BMJ Group
rss
Tobacco Control 2004;13:74-77; doi:10.1136/tc.2003.004572
Copyright © 2004 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Tobacco Control 2004;13:74-77
© 2004 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd

RESEARCH PAPER

A study of smoking and smoking cessation on the curricula of UK medical schools

E Roddy1, P Rubin2 and J Britton3 on behalf of the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians

1 Division of Respiratory Medicine, School of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
2 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham
3 Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Elin Roddy
Division of Respiratory Medicine, Clinical Sciences Building, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; elin.roddy{at}nottingham.ac.uk

Objectives: To identify current practice in teaching on smoking and smoking cessation in UK medical schools, and establish whether newly qualified UK doctors feel prepared to deliver smoking cessation interventions.

Design: Search of published curricula from all UK medical schools; questionnaire surveys of all UK medical school deans and UK qualified pre-registration house officers (PRHOs).

Participants: Deans or nominated representatives from all 24 UK medical schools with current undergraduates, and all UK qualified PRHOs.

Main outcome measures: Inclusion and organisation in curriculum of 15 predefined core topics related to smoking (deans); perceived readiness to deliver smoking cessation interventions (PRHOs).

Results: There was no mention of smoking or smoking cessation in the published curriculum material of 10 (42%) medical schools. Deans reported compulsory teaching on a mean (SD) of 9.5 (2.8) core topics, while PRHOs recalled compulsory teaching in only 6.6 (3.2). Training in clinical aspects of smoking cessation was particularly neglected, with 60% of PRHOs reporting that they graduated unable to deliver smoking cessation interventions in accordance with national guidelines. Only 17% of PRHOs felt well prepared to deliver advice on using nicotine replacement therapy, and 5% on bupropion.

Conclusions: Teaching on smoking cessation in UK medical schools is inadequate.

Keywords: medical schools; curricula; cessation; nicotine; education

Abbreviations: GP, general practitioner; NHS, National Health Service; NRT, nicotine replacement therapy; PRHO, pre-registration house officers


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Raupach, T., Shahab, L., Baetzing, S., Hoffmann, B., Hasenfuss, G., West, R., Andreas, S. (2009). Medical students lack basic knowledge about smoking: Findings from two European medical schools. Nicotine Tob Res 0: ntn007v1-ntn007 [Abstract] [Full Text]  

eLetters:

Read all eLetters

Teaching Medical Students to take tobacco use seriously
Stephen L. Hamann
Tobacco Control Online, 25 Feb 2004 [Full text]
Minimal Training in Tobacco-Control May be Epidemic
Melbourne F Hovell, Ph.D., M.P.H., et al.
Tobacco Control Online, 19 Mar 2004 [Full text]
Smoking cessation in curricula- the challenges are linked to health promotion
Ann M Wylie
Tobacco Control Online, 14 Apr 2004 [Full text]

This Article

Services
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Bookmark with

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.