Knowledge, recommendation, and beliefs of e-cigarettes among physicians involved in tobacco cessation: a qualitative study

This US based study has interviewed 35 physicians from five specialities, including primary care, to identify what information is currently being communicated about e-cigarettes to patients. Interviews were coded using five main themes – tobacco cessation recommendation practices, knowledge of e-cigarettes, communication of e-cigarettes with patients and general beliefs about e-cigarettes. Physicians felt there was a deficit in terms of information about the efficacy and long-term health effects of e-cigarettes but that did not generally result in them discouraging patients from trying them as a smoking cessation method/form of harm reduction. Physicians did not recommend e-cigarettes over traditional cessation methods but they were open to if more adequate data about effectiveness became available.   Read the full article here.