Otolaryngology Resident Education and Perceptions of e-cigarettes

Abstract

Objective:

To date, there are no reports of otolaryngology residents’ knowledge and confidence in discussing e-cigarette use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate otolaryngology resident e-cigarette knowledge and confidence in counseling patients on e-cigarette use.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional national survey

Setting:

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education otolaryngology residents in the United States.

Methods:

US otolaryngology residents were distributed surveys electronically in September 2020.

Results:

A total of 150 participants replied for a response rate of 8.88%. The majority, 93.10% have not received formal education on e-cigarettes during their residency training. The most common resource of e-cigarette information overall was social media (78.46%). Within academia, the most common resources of e-cigarette education were patient interactions (63.16%) and colleagues (54.74%). Patients commonly inquire residents about e-cigarettes for smoking cessation (85.07%) and their long-term health effects (83.58%). Almost 67% of residents rarely or never ask patients about e-cigarette use. Only 4.35% of residents are not confident discussing traditional cigarette use, while 58.70% are not confident discussing e-cigarettes.

Conclusion:

Otolaryngology residents have not received formal education in e-cigarettes and are not confident discussing e-cigarettes with their patients. This highlights the need for e-cigarette education during otolaryngology residency to improve patient e-cigarette counseling.