Impact of an Internet-based smoking cessation educational module on pharmacists' knowledge and practice

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine the knowledge acquired by the end of an Internet-based tobacco use cessation educational intervention (2) determine the knowledge retained one year after the intervention, and (3) estimate the degree to which pharmacists' practice related to tobacco use cessation changed in the year following the intervention. Methods. Thirty-eight nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy students enrolled in respiratory pharmacotherapy completed a pretest, an Internet-based tobacco use cessation educational module, an end-of-module posttest, and a 1-year posttest, as well as surveys at each testing time. Results. The mean pretest, end-of-module posttest, and 1-year posttest scores (percent correct answers) were 36.3%, 84.5%, and 51.6%, respectively. Compared to the pretest, the improvement in both posttest results was significant. Both at the end of the course and at the 1-year follow-up, all survey respondents reported that they felt their knowledge and familiarity with smoking cessation had improved. Sixty percent of the 1-year survey respondents reported an increase in their practice activities related to tobacco using patients. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that an Internet-based tobacco-use cessation educational module provided learners with significant initial knowledge, and this knowledge was retained 1 year after the intervention. The intervention may have influenced learners' practices, although further study is required.