Faculty Perceptions of a Tobacco Cessation Train-the-Trainer Program and Experiences with Implementation: A Qualitative Follow-Up Study

Background: Between 2003–2005, pharmacy faculty members (n = 191; representing 89 of 91 schools) participated in a national train-the-trainer workshop designed to equip faculty with the necessary knowledge and skills to implement a shared tobacco cessation curriculum, Rx for Change: Clinician-Assisted Tobacco Cessation curriculum, at pharmacy schools across the United States. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe pharmacy faculty members’ (a) perceptions of the train-the-trainer workshop, and (b) subsequent experiences with curricular implementation, tobacco-related research, and clinical practice. Methods: Participants were selected via a combination of random and snowball sampling from the group of 191 faculty members who participated in the workshop. Semi-structured telephone interviews with participants were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data from transcripts were analyzed thematically. Results: Eighteen (62%) of 29 invited individuals participated in the interviews. All participants reported implementing components of Rx for Change at their institution. The analysis yielded eight major themes: (1) accessibility to tools for teaching, (2) increased confidence and perceived skills, (3) factors facilitating implementation, (4) flexibility delivering the curriculum, (5) enhanced treatment for tobacco dependence in clinical practice, (6) enhanced pharmacy students’ confidence and cognizance of pharmacists’ role, (7) networking and career development opportunities, and (8) useful background for research. We also discuss challenges encountered by faculty during the process of implementing the curriculum and when integrating skills into clinical practice, along with approaches faculty used to circumvent these challenges. Conclusion: Participation in the train-the-trainer workshop increased faculty self-reported confidence for teaching tobacco cessation, and they valued access to useful, updated tools for teaching. Furthermore, their newly acquired counseling skills were deemed helpful for treating patients’ tobacco use and dependence in clinical practice. Results can help future trainers of educators understand faculty experiences with implementing a shared curriculum and inform faculty participants of some of the potential long-term outcomes as a result of participation, such as perceived confidence in implementing a new topic in a pharmacy school, perceived increased skills in treating patients in clinical practice, and perceived a beneficial networking opportunities