Tobacco Cessation Champions: Recognizing Physicians Who Ask, Advise, and Refer

Abstract

e-cigarettes/vape devices, tobacco cessation pharmacotherapeutics, tobacco treatment options, and EHR workflows. 2 Education occurred via grand rounds, departmental meetings, webinars, pre-recorded presentations, Epic tip sheets, and one-on-one academic detailing. Data from the Epic EHR were reviewed to identify the number of tobacco cessation e-referrals to the Maryland Quitline by physicians/practitioners across the UMMS in 2021. Physicians/practitioners who e-referred 10 or more patients in a 12-month period were considered "Tobacco Cessation Champions," and those who e-referred less than 10 patients were considered "Tobacco Cessation Advocates." Each physician/practitioner received a letter and certificate via e-mail celebrating their work and inspiring them to encourage their colleagues to e-refer their patients for tobacco cessation. Letters and certificates were tailored to Champions and Advocates, respectively. In 2021, 264 physicians/ practitioners e-referred patients to the Maryland Quitline. These physicians/practitioners received a letter and certificate in January 2022. There were 203 e-referrals submitted to the Maryland Quitline in the 4th quarter of 2021 and 269 e-referrals submitted to the Maryland Quitline in the 1st quarter of 2022. There were also 443 referrals to the Tobacco Health Practice in 2021. The sustainability of this effort is supported by having developed a scalable EHR workflow and training material existing in perpetuity. 4 LEARNING Positive reinforcement and acknowledgment of physicians'/practitioners' work to improve their patients' health may help increase tobacco cessation e-referrals. Physicians/practitioners self reported enthusiasm at being acknowledged for their effort. Access to accurate EHR data can be a valuable tool in quality improvement to improve clinical outcomes in vulnerable populations. 5 Recognition of physician/practitioner efforts can potentially be expanded beyond tobacco cessation to address other areas of practice. Future iterations of this effort should consider the proportion of patients who smoke and patients who do not require referral for treatment. Utilizing the rate of eligible smokers who need and are referred for treatment may produce a more accurate representation of physician/practitioner treatment efforts. Read or post comments in response to this article.