Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: The Gap Between Behavior in Smokers and Medical Education

Introduction: E-cigarettes have engendered a great deal of controversy within the public health and medical communities. Methods: Two cross-sectional surveys were administered. First, patients at an annual lung cancer screening appointment who self-identified as former smokers were asked about strategies for achieving and maintaining smoking cessation with open-ended questions. Second, medical students at a single university reported their opinion and knowledge of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Results: Among the n=102 in the patient survey indicating that they used e-cigarettes or over-the-counter (OTC) nicotine replacement products for smoking cessation, 34.3% (35/102) vaped e-cigarettes, making it the second most common next to patches (47.1% {48/102}). By comparison, n=48 reported using medication. Medical student participants (n=168) were mixed regarding whether a patient should switch from traditional to electronic cigarettes (56.0% yes; 44.0% no) and reported receiving education about traditional cigarettes (92.3%) at a much higher rate than for e-cigarettes (46.4%), p<.001. Conclusion: Many former heavy smokers undergoing a lung cancer screen used e-cigarettes to achieve smoking cessation. However, nearly half of medical students surveyed do not think patients should switch from traditional to e-cigarettes.