Pharmacists' Perspectives on Providing Educational Intervention to Address E-Cigarette Use and Vaping among Adolescents and Their Parents

Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (03/25) Maday, Ellie; Brekke, Annika; Li, Jenny; et al.

Researchers surveyed pharmacists in Wisconsin to evaluate their thoughts on how to address adolescent vaping and to see what they thought about a proposed educational tool to help adolescents and parents learn more about e-cigarette use. Using semi-structured interviews, researchers asked 30 licensed and practicing pharmacists about their knowledge of adolescent vaping, pharmacists' role in addressing adolescent vaping, and other topics. Common themes that emerged from the interviews focused on how pharmacists interact with adolescents, what they already know about e-cigarettes, pharmacists' potential roles, and feedback about the Pharmacist-Led E-cigarette and Vaping Educational Resource (Ph-EVER). Based on their findings, the study authors concluded that pharmacists can help to reduce adolescent vaping, but continuing education is needed about e-cigarettes. Although the pharmacists noted they do not see adolescents much in their practice setting, they were open to implementing the Ph-EVER tool in their pharmacy, indicating that it successfully accomplished its goal. The study also includes recommendations on how to expand use of the tool to social media to better reach adolescents.

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