Tobacco dependence curricula in u.s. baccalaureate and graduate nursing education

The overwhelming majority of nurses express a desire to help patients stop smoking but most nurses report a lack of training in tobacco dependence treatment. The purpose of the study was to assess tobacco content and extent of tobacco education and intervention skills among a national sample of baccalaureate and graduate U.S. nursing programs. A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. A questionnaire that measured tobacco content curriculum was sent to 909 baccalaureate and graduate nursing program associate deans who were member institutions of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The majority of tobacco content curricula focused on the health effects of tobacco. Nursing students, especially undergraduates, lacked curricular content in the area of clinical tobacco cessation techniques. Increased instructional efforts concerning the clinical treatment of tobacco dependence are critical for achieving a nationwide reduction in tobacco use prevalence.