In the United States, approximately 480,000 people die from smoking each year. Despite the fact that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation device, many people ask their doctors whether using e-cigarettes can be a substitute for tobacco cigarettes or a way to help them quit smoking. E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid that contains nicotine.
According to Michael Steinberg, the Director of the Tobacco Dependence Program at Rutgers University's Tobacco Research Center and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who is also the author of a research report, "As more and more evidence shows that electronic cigarettes may be effective for smoking cessation, they may play a key role in reducing cigarette usage and subsequent tobacco-related diseases. Understanding doctors' views on e-cigarettes as a harm-reduction tool is important.
This study, published in the online version of the Journal of the American Medical Association, surveyed 2,058 American doctors in 2018 and again in 2019 on their communication with patients about electronic cigarettes. Researchers asked how they would advise two different patients who want to quit smoking: a young woman with a mild addiction who has not yet attempted to quit, and an older man with a severe addiction who has tried multiple methods to quit in the past.
Only 22% of the surveyed doctors reported recommending e-cigarettes to their patients, with 10% stating they had done so within the 30 days prior to completing the questionnaire.
A recent study has found that doctors are three times more likely to recommend e-cigarettes to heavy smokers who have previously failed to quit smoking. Typically, doctors recommend FDA-approved medication such as nicotine gum or lozenges for mild smokers. Nearly 70% of doctors reported that their patients have asked them questions about e-cigarettes, with one-third saying they were asked within the past 30 days. More than 60% of doctors mistakenly believe that all tobacco products are equally harmful.
Cristine Delnevo, director of the Tobacco Research Center at Rutgers University and a professor of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at Rutgers School of Public Health, said, "These findings suggest that it is crucial to address doctors' misconceptions and educate them on the effectiveness of e-cigarettes, particularly in correcting the erroneous belief that all tobacco products are equally harmful, when in fact, combusted tobacco is by far the most dangerous.
The study also found that pulmonologists, cardiologists, and physicians who follow the clinical practice guidelines of the US Public Health Service for treating tobacco use and addiction are more likely to recommend e-cigarettes to patients, as well as those who hold harm reduction views and have a history of smoking themselves. However, if patients inquire about e-cigarettes first, physicians are also more likely to recommend them.
Source: Cnbeta
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