Medical students and vaping – what do they know?

<bold>Background:</bold> The harms of traditional tobacco cigarettes are widely taught in medical school, with students receiving education on potential health risks and methods of smoking cessation. Little is known about what current students are taught about vaping. <bold>Objectives:</bold> To gain insight into current medical student education on vaping. <bold>Methods:</bold> An online survey, distributed amongst four Scottish medical schools (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow), invited students (approximately 5000) of all year groups to participate. Questions regarding both medical education and lifestyle were included. <bold>Results:</bold> A total of 606 responses were received. 8.4% currently vape (3% current smokers). The majority (95%) reported that vaping had not been covered well within their curriculum (61% stated it had not been mentioned). Despite this, 72% were aware of some health risks associated with vaping suggesting knowledge is currently obtained from popular media. 6% reported they would feel confident explaining vaping to patients. Most (74%) felt the target population for vaping is current smokers; only 5% believed vaping was targeted towards non-smokers. 98% were unaware of any available vaping cessation services. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Current medical curricula do not adequately address the rise and risk of vaping, and medical students lack the knowledge and confidence to explain the health consequences to patients. In addition, most medical students were of the opinion that vaping was marketed towards smokers, however their own vaping behaviour did not reflect this. It is essential that medical schools improve access to vaping information and consider at-risk populations, acute/chronic health effects and focus on cessation support.