What do resident doctors know about e-cigarettes? A cross-sectional nationwide survey from Turkey

<bold>Method:</bold> This study was designed in collaboration with pulmonologists and public health specialists at our hospital. When formulating the questions, we considered the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) and the Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test. The study included assistant physicians working in a non-probability sample. We reached 387 resident doctors from 24 provinces in Turkey through an online survey, and the results were recorded electronically. <bold>Discussion:</bold> Electronic cigarettes, commonly known as e-cigarettes, pose a growing health concern. Although resident doctors can enumerate the motivating factors behind e-cigarette use in detail, they have limited knowledge regarding their contents and harms. In this study, which includes 387 resident doctors, it was observed that 67 participants (17.3%) currently use e-cigarettes. Resident doctors tend to consume more e-cigarettes during night shifts and indoors. Additionally, they rarely inquire about additional e-cigarette use when taking smoking history from patients. Participants evaluated their knowledge about e-cigarettes as insufficient, with an average score of 4 out of 10. They primarily rely on information from the Ministry of Health and pulmonologists for necessary education. To comprehensively investigate the content and risks of e-cigarettes compared to other tobacco products, prospective studies examining long-term effects are essential.