Physicians’ Attitudes and Use of E-Cigarettes as Cessation Devices, North Carolina, 2013

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 7; p. e103462
• Main Authors: Kandra, Kelly L., Ranney, Leah M., Lee, Joseph G. L., Goldstein, Adam O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 29.07.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitudes; Biology and Life Sciences; Cigarette smoking; Cigarettes; Clinical medicine; Counseling; Drug addiction; Drug approval; Drug dosages; Electronic cigarettes; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Federal regulation; Female; Gynecology; Health Surveys; Human subjects; Humans; Internal medicine; Male; Marketing industry; Medical personnel; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Nicotine; North Carolina; Participation; Patients; Physicians; Psychiatrists; Public health; Regression analysis; Regulation; Regulatory agencies; Smoking; Smoking Cessation; Smoking cessation products; Social Sciences; Studies; Surgeons; Surveys and Questionnaires; Systematic review; Tobacco; Variables; North Carolina; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103462

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are not currently approved or recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or various medical organizations; yet, they appear to play a substantial role in tobacco users' cessation attempts. This study reports on a physician survey that measured beliefs, attitudes, and behavior related to e-cigarettes and smoking cessation. To our knowledge this is the first study to measure attitudes toward e-cigarettes among physicians treating adult smokers. Using a direct marketing company, a random sample of 787 North Carolina physicians were contacted in 2013 through email, with 413 opening the email and 128 responding (response rate = 31%). Physicians' attitudes towards e-cigarettes were measured through a series of close-ended questions. Recommending e-cigarettes to patients served as the outcome variable for a logistic regression analysis. Two thirds (67%) of the surveyed physicians indicated e-cigarettes are a helpful aid for smoking cessation, and 35% recommended them to their patients. Physicians were more likely to recommend e-cigarettes when their patients asked about them or when the physician believed e-cigarettes were safer than smoking standard cigarettes. Many North Carolina physicians are having conversations about e-cigarettes with their patients, and some are recommending them. Future FDA regulation of e-cigarettes may help provide evidence-based guidance to physicians about e-cigarettes and will help ensure that patients receive evidence-based recommendations about the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes in tobacco cessation.