Assessing the Impact of Smoking Cessation Training for Healthcare Providers: A Pre-Post Intervention Study by the Buntong Health Clinic Quit Smoking Clinic Team

Abstract: Purpose: Smoking cessation remains a critical public health challenge, requiring effective interventions led by trained healthcare providers. This study evaluates the impact of a structured smoking cessation training program on healthcare providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy in smoking cessation counselling. Methods: A pre-post intervention study was conducted among 159 healthcare providers, including doctors, pharmacists, medical assistants, and nurses, who attended a structured smoking cessation training program at Klinik Kesihatan Buntong, Malaysia. The training comprised lectures, hands-on practical sessions, and role-playing exercises focused on evidence-based smoking cessation strategies. The Providers’ Smoking Cessation Training Evaluation (ProSCiTE) tool was used to assess participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy before and after training. Paired t-tests and McNemar’s tests were conducted to analyse the changes. Results: Significant improvements were observed across all three measured domains. The mean knowledge score increased by 2.8 points (p < 0.001), attitude scores improved by 1.4 points (p < 0.001), and self-efficacy scores rose by 8.9 points (p < 0.001). Medical assistants demonstrated the highest knowledge improvement, while pharmacists exhibited the greatest increase in self-efficacy. Despite overall positive outcomes, attitude improvements among pharmacists and nurses were not statistically significant. Additionally, the training led to a significant rise in participants' interest in further skill enhancement in smoking cessation counselling (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The structured training program significantly enhanced healthcare providers’ competencies in smoking cessation counselling, reinforcing the importance of targeted educational interventions. The findings underscore the need for profession-specific strategies to address attitude-related barriers and sustain long-term impact. Future training initiatives should incorporate digital tools, reinforcement training, and continuous professional development to optimize smoking cessation efforts and improve public health outcomes in Malaysia.