Comparison of Virtual and In-Person Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training

Purpose: There is limited research comparing virtual and in-person tobacco treatment specialist training. As a result of COVID-19, the Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program (Duke-UNC TTS) transitioned from an in-person to a virtual format, allowing for a comparison of these two trai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Telehealth and medicine today 2023-11, Vol.8 (5)
Main Authors: Davis, MD, James, Clark, MHA, Sonia, Greyber, Jennifer, Dirkes, MSW, LCSW, Jillian, Herndon, MPH, Sally, Swetlick, MPH, Joyce, Trout, LCSW, MSPH, NCTTP, Susan, Manshaii, Farid, Goldstein, MD, MPH, Adam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accreditation
COVID-19
Distance learning
Drug therapy
Education
Educational materials
Learning management systems
Medical personnel
Pandemics
Telemedicine
Tobacco
Training
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Summary:Purpose: There is limited research comparing virtual and in-person tobacco treatment specialist training. As a result of COVID-19, the Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program (Duke-UNC TTS) transitioned from an in-person to a virtual format, allowing for a comparison of these two training formats. Materials and Methods: We conducted an observational study comparing Duke-UNC TTS attendance and evaluations at three courses provided in-person in 2019 with the same three courses provided virtually in 2020.  Results: The transition from in-person to virtual format was associated with more than a doubling of course attendance (in-person format enrolled 112 participants; virtual format enrolled 232 participants; p < 0.05).  The virtual format was also associated with more than two times the proportion of out-of-state participant attendance (in-person format enrolled 22.3% out-of-state attendees; virtual format enrolled 52.8% out-of-state attendees; p < 0.05). Course evaluations showed similar quality scores for measuring perceived knowledge acquisition and course satisfaction. Conclusions: This observational study showed that the virtual TTS training format had higher attendance and wider geographical reach, without a significant loss in quality, than the in-person training format. The study suggests that TTS training programs should consider continued delivery of training through interactive virtual formats to increase accessibility for participants.
ISSN:2471-6960
2471-6960
DOI:10.30953/thmt.v8.432