Formative Provider Testing of a New Encounter Decision Aid for Smoking Cessation: Questionnaire Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Smoking cessation is an essential part of preventing and reducing risk of smoking associated morbidity and mortality. However, there is often little time to discuss smoking cessation in primary care. Encounter decision aids, short, patient-facing decision aids used during clinic visits, optimize therapeutic education and increase interaction and the therapeutic alliance. Such a decision aid for smoking cessation could potentially improve counselling and increase the use of pharmacological treatments. OBJECTIVE We aimed to develop and test an electronic encounter decision aid (DA) that facilitates physician-patient interaction and shared decision making for smoking cessation in primary care. METHODS We developed a DA (howtoquit.ch) adapted from a paper version developed by our team in 2017 following user-centered design principles. The DA is a one page interactive website presenting and comparing medications for tobacco cessation and electronic cigarettes. Each smoking cessation medication has a drop down menu that presents additional information, a video demonstration, and prescribing information for physicians. To test the DA, a questionnaire was submitted to general practitioner residents of an academic general medicine department, five general practitioners, and five experts in the field of smoking cessation. The questionnaire consisted of 4 multiple-choice and 2 free text questions assessing the usability/acceptability of the DA, the acquisition of new knowledge for practitioners, the perceived utility in supporting shared decision making and patients' choices, perceived strengths and weaknesses and if they would recommend the tool to other clinicians. RESULTS Six residents, 3 general practitioners in private practice, and 2 tobacco cessation experts completed the questionnaire (n=11), and 4 additional experts provided open-text feedback. On the 11 questionnaires, the DA was rated as practical and intuitive (mean 4.6/5) and supported shared decision making (mean 4.4/5), as comparisons were readily possible. Inclusion of explanatory videos was seen as a bonus. Several changes were suggested like grouping together similar medications and adding a landing page to briefly explain the site. Changes were implemented according to the end users comments. CONCLUSIONS The overall assessment of the DA by a group of physicians and experts was positive. The ultimate objective is to have the tool deployed and easily accessible for all to use.