Electronic Cigarettes: The Perceptions of Pharmacists and Physicians

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, are electronic nicotine delivery systems that have been increasing in popularity in recent years. While many manufacturers of e-cigarettes advertise their product as a smoking cessation aid, there is insufficient evidence to support this claim. The long-term health outcomes associated with e-cigarette use remain unknown.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate pharmacists’ and physicians’ perception and knowledge of e-cigarettes, including comfort level in counseling patients on these products. The study will also assess if, and to what extent, patient e-cigarette usage is collected by these healthcare professionals as a marker of tobacco use status. 

Study Design: A cross-sectional survey has been distributed to two focus groups: pharmacists and physicians. Survey responses will be analyzed utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics, as appropriate. 

Methods: Data will be collected via survey methodology. Pharmacists practicing in the community pharmacy setting and physicians practicing in family medicine are the targeted subjects. The timeframe for survey distribution will be a period of 3 months or until a total of 200 surveys are completed (100 surveys from each group). 

Results: Based on preliminary results, pharmacists and physicians will benefit from further information on e-cigarettes. Pharmacists feel only slightly confident or not confident at all on counseling patients about e-cigarettes. Mixed results have been gathered on whether participants believe e-cigarettes may be used as an effective smoking cessation tool. Data collection is ongoing with anticipated completion by March 2016. 

Conclusions: Due to the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes, pharmacists and physicians will be called upon to serve as informational resources and care providers for patients who use them. This proactive assessment highlights the upward trend in e-cigarette use and enhances patient care by presenting the topic in a forum that provides pharmacists and physicians the opportunity to become more familiar with e-cigarettes.