Views from the coalface: What do english stop smoking service personnel think about E-cigarettes?

Citation

Hiscock R, Bauld L, Arnott D, Dockrell M, Ross L & McEwen A (2015) Views from the coalface: What do english stop smoking service personnel think about E-cigarettes?. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12 (12), pp. 16157-16167. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph121215048

Abstract
The UK Stop Smoking Services (SSS) are a source of information and advice on e-cigarettes for smokers and thus it is important to understand the knowledge of, and attitudes towards, e-cigarettes held by stop smoking practitioners. The datasets were English SSS quarterly monitoring returns (n = 207,883) and an online survey of English SSS practitioners, managers, and commissioners between 26th November and 15th December 2014 (n = 1801). SSS monitoring data suggested 2% of clients were using e-cigarettes to quit with SSS and that clients using e-cigarettes had similar quit rates to clients using Varenicline. Most SSS personnel are waiting for licenced e-cigarettes to become available before they will recommend them to clients. However, less than a quarter view e-cigarettes as “a good thing”. Managers and commissioners were more positive than practitioners. SSS personnel working for the NHS (hospitals and GP surgeries) were less positive about e-cigarettes than those employed elsewhere. E-cigarettes were cited as the most important reason for the recent decline in service footfall. Thus dissemination of information about e-cigarettes needs to be examined and services should address their stance on e-cigarettes with some urgency. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords
electronic equipment; health services; Internet; monitoring; smoking; survey method, Article; attitude to health; electronic cigarette; evidence based medicine; health belief; health care personnel; health care survey; health education; health program; health service; human; information dissemination; program effectiveness; smoking; smoking cessation program; adult; aged; counseling; electronic cigarette; female; health personnel attitude; male; middle aged; psychology; questionnaire; smoking cessation; statistics and numerical data; Tobacco Use Disorder; United Kingdom, United Kingdom, Adult; Aged; Attitude of Health Personnel; Counseling; Electronic Cigarettes; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Smoking Cessation; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tobacco Use Disorder; United Kingdom

Journal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: Volume 12, Issue 12

• Published version