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The Emerging Global Tobacco Treatment Workforce: Characteristics of Tobacco Treatment Specialists Trained in Council-Accredited Training Programs from 2017 to 2019.

ABSTRACT: Tobacco use is projected to kill 1 billion people in the 21st century. Tobacco Use Disorder (TUD) is one of the most common substance use disorders in the world. Evidence-based treatment of TUD is effective, but treatment accessibility remains very low. A dearth of specially trained clinicians is a significant barrier to treatment accessibility, even within systems of care that implement brief intervention models. The treatment of TUD is becoming more complex and tailoring treatment to address new and traditional tobacco products is needed. The Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (Council) is the accrediting body for Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training programs. Between 2016 and 2019, n = 7761 trainees completed Council-accredited TTS training programs. Trainees were primarily from North America (92.6%) and the Eastern Mediterranean (6.1%) and were trained via in-person group workshops in medical and academic settings. From 2016 to 2019, the number of Council-accredited training programs increased from 14 to 22 and annual number of trainees increased by 28.5%. Trainees have diverse professional backgrounds and work in diverse settings but were primarily White (69.1%) and female (78.7%) located in North America. Nearly two-thirds intended to implement tobacco treatment services in their setting; two-thirds had been providing tobacco treatment for 1 year or less; and 20% were sent to training by their employers. These findings suggest that the training programs are contributing to the development of a new workforce of TTSs as well as the development of new programmatic tobacco treatment services in diverse settings. Developing strategies to support attendance from demographically and geographically diverse professionals might increase the proportion of trainees from marginalized groups and regions of the world with significant tobacco-related inequities.

SUBMITTER: Sheffer CE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7967787 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundDietitians are viewed as integral members of the multidisciplinary treatment team for people with eating disorders (EDs). However, low levels of perceived confidence, competence, and willingness to practice in this clinical area, have been reported by dietitians and student dietitians. As the extent of ED-specific knowledge and skills-based training within tertiary accredited dietetic programs is currently unknown, this research aimed to: (1) obtain insights into the current ED-specific knowledge base and training content of dietetic curricula in both Australian and New Zealand universities; (2) understand the perspectives of course convenors regarding the role of dietitians in ED treatment and their employment opportunities; and (3) identify gaps and opportunities for improving university programs and the dietetic workforce.MethodsCourse convenors (or their nominated representative) of Australian and New Zealand accredited dietetic programs were invited to participate in a semi-structured virtual interview. A purpose-built question guide was developed to explore the inclusion and/or integration of ED-specific content into the curricula, and the perspectives of course convenors toward the role of dietitians in the treatment of EDs, and their employment opportunities. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed qualitatively using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsThirteen participants who represented 14 universities and 19 individual accredited dietetic programs, were interviewed, with some participants representing more than one university. Three dominant themes emerged: (1) varying ED-specific content and training in dietetic programs; (2) unclear dietitian's role in the treatment of EDs, and (3) contrasting views regarding ED clinical practice and employment.ConclusionsED-specific content was embedded within all the dietetic programs investigated in this study. However, this content was generally limited to an introductory level, with notable variations found between the depth of content and the type of training provided. Risk-mitigation skill development, such as screening for EDs, and early identification of symptoms, also varied between programs. Therefore, it is recommended that ED-specific skill development and knowledge is enhanced within Australian and New Zealand university programs, to support effective, safe, and timely care for people with EDs. This research has implications for current and future university dietetic program development and the broader dietetic workforce.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Within a web-assisted tobacco intervention, we provided a function for smokers to asynchronously communicate with a trained tobacco treatment specialist (TTS). Previous studies have not attempted to isolate the effect of asynchronous counseling on smoking cessation. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to conduct a semiquantitative analysis of TTS-smoker communication and evaluate its association with smoking cessation. METHODS:We conducted a secondary analysis of data on secure asynchronous communication between trained TTSs and a cohort of smokers during a 6-month period. Smokers were able to select their preferred TTS and message them using a secure web-based form. To evaluate whether the TTS used evidence-based practices, we coded messages using the Motivational Interviewing Self-Evaluation Checklist and Smoking Cessation Counseling (SCC) Scale. We assessed the content of messages initiated by the smokers by creating topical content codes. At 6 months, we assessed the association between smoking cessation and the amount of TTS use and created a multivariable model adjusting for demographic characteristics and smoking characteristics at baseline. RESULTS:Of the 725 smokers offered asynchronous counseling support, 33.8% (245/725) messaged the TTS at least once. A total of 1082 messages (TTSs: 565; smokers 517) were exchanged between the smokers and TTSs. The majority of motivational interviewing codes were those that supported client strengths (280/517, 54.1%) and promoted engagement (280/517, 54.1%). SCC code analysis showed that the TTS provided assistance to smokers if they were willing to quit (247/517, 47.8%) and helped smokers prepare to quit (206/517, 39.8%) and anticipate barriers (197/517, 38.1%). The majority of smokers' messages discussed motivations to quit (234/565, 41.4%) and current and past treatments (talking about their previous use of nicotine replacement therapy and medications; 201/565, 35.6%). The majority of TTS messages used behavioral strategies (233/517, 45.1%), offered advice on treatments (189/517, 36.5%), and highlighted motivations to quit (171/517, 33.1%). There was no association between the amount of TTS use and cessation. In the multivariable model, after adjusting for gender, age, race, education, readiness at baseline, number of cigarettes smoked per day at baseline, and the selected TTS, smokers messaging the TTS one or two times had a smoking cessation odds ratio (OR) of 0.8 (95% CI 0.4-1.4), and those that messaged the TTS more than two times had a smoking cessation OR of 1.0 (95% CI 0.4-2.3). CONCLUSIONS:Our study demonstrated the feasibility of using asynchronous counseling to deliver evidence-based counseling. Low participant engagement or a lack of power could be potential explanations for the nonassociation with smoking cessation. Future trials should explore approaches to increase participant engagement and test asynchronous counseling in combination with other approaches for improving the rates of smoking cessation.

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The Emerging Global Tobacco Treatment Workforce: Characteristics of Tobacco Treatment Specialists Trained in Council-Accredited Training Programs from 2017 to 2019.

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