Introduction to Tobacco Cessation and Motivational Interviewing - Evaluation of a Lecture and Case-Based Learning Activity for Medical Students

Sep 20, 2026

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Tobacco use remains a major public health burden, yet many healthcare providers lack adequate training to counsel patients or offer effective cessation resources. This study evaluates a student-facilitated, case-based tobacco cessation activity designed for first-year medical students. A lecture and case-based activity were piloted, with pre- and post-session surveys measuring beliefs and confidence. Results showed substantial improvements in assessment, counseling, quit-plan development, and self-efficacy, with high student commitment to expand cessation efforts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Open Access Original Article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.53704 Review began 01/22/2024 Review ended 02/04/2024 Published 02/06/2024 © Copyright 2024 Berger et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited. Introduction to Tobacco Cessation and Motivational Interviewing: Evaluation of a Lecture and Case-Based Learning Activity for Medical Students Daniel J. Berger 1, Sarah Nickolich 2, Munima Nasir 3 1. Emergency-Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, USA 2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, USA 3. Family and Community Medicine, Penn State University College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, USA Corresponding author: Munima Nasir, [mnasir@pennstatehealth.psu.edu](mnasir@pennstatehealth.psu.edu) Abstract Introduction Despite the fact that tobacco use continues to have significant public health impacts, most healthcare providers are not adequately trained to counsel patients on their tobacco use or to provide cessation resources. Although all healthcare providers have a role in providing tobacco cessation assistance, physicians and advanced practice providers are generally the only practitioners able to furnish tobacco cessation medications and bill insurance for their cessation services. Therefore, ensuring these practitioners are properly trained to offer tobacco cessation to their patients is critical to addressing this public health threat. In line with this goal, this study outlines the curriculum evaluation for an innovative studentfacilitated tobacco cessation activity for medical students. Methods A lecture and case-based learning activity was created and piloted with a class of first-year medical students. The activity was facilitated by fourth-year medical students. Students took a pre-session survey to establish baseline experience and beliefs and a post-session survey to ascertain their confidence in applying what was covered in the session. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze the data. Results One hundred and twenty-eight students completed both surveys. Prior to the activity, students reported low levels of confidence in their ability to counsel patients and knowledge of cessation resources. Following the activity, more than 90% reported improvement in their ability to assess a patient’s willingness to quit and counsel those ready to quit. Greater than 80% reported an improvement in their ability to counsel patients not ready to quit and to establish a quit plan. More than 90% of students reported that the session increased their self-efficacy in helping patients quit and that it was worth their time, with 96% committing to increasing their tobacco cessation efforts with their patients. Discussion Students valued the training and almost all reported that it increased their ability to help patients quit smoking. The use of student-facilitated case-based learning provided both an opportunity for students to practice cessation techniques and a low-stakes introduction to the OSCE format without the need for extensive faculty resources. Although this session was run with first-year medical students, the curriculum presented can be used for residents, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Categories: Family/General Practice, Medical Education, Substance Use and Addiction Keywords: case-based learning, motivational interviewing, nursing, residents, medical students, medical education, smoking cessation, tobacco cessation Introduction Tobacco use is responsible for a significant health burden, causing approximately 480,000 premature deaths annually in the United States alone [1] . Fortunately, 68.0% of tobacco users report the desire to quit smok

FAQs

What learning activity was evaluated for medical students?

The study evaluated a lecture combined with student-facilitated case-based learning focused on tobacco cessation and motivational interviewing.

How were medical students’ outcomes measured?

Students completed pre-session and post-session surveys to establish baseline experience and beliefs and to assess confidence in applying session content.

What were the main results after the activity?

More than 90% reported improved ability to assess a patient’s willingness to quit and counsel those ready to quit, and over 80% reported improvement in counseling patients not ready to quit and establishing a quit plan.

Sep 20, 2026

Upload by Miles