Imperative training need of health professionals for improved smoking cessation services

This is a national cross-sectional survey of Mauritian health professionals working in the public service. The study population consists of health professionals in the fields of medicine, nursing/midwifery and dentistry, working in the public sector of Mauritius. Stratified random sampling was used; the strata consisted of various categories of health professionals, namely Medical Officers (doctors), Specialist Doctors, Dental Officers (dentists) and Qualified Nurses/Midwives. Considering a margin of error of 5%, at a confidence level of 95%, a minimum sample size of 370 was targeted. In case of refusal to participate in the survey, non-respondents were Abstract: Mauritius is one of the twelve sub-Saharan countries which participated in the African Tobacco Situation Analysis initiative, whereby the need to survey health professionals on their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices with respect to tobacco use and smoking cessation was identified. A national cross- sectional survey of Mauritian health professionals was carried out, with stratified random sampling of health professionals. Data was collected by means of a self-administered instrument, which was an adapted version of the Global Health Professionals Students Survey questionnaire.Ethical clearance was obtained from the relevant Research Ethics Committee.This survey reveals that even though the majority of health professionals were taught about the dangers of smoking, only a minority had ever received any training in smoking cessation techniques during their professional studies. Findings of this survey in Mauritius constitute new knowledge, for the country, which needs to be shared on a global aspect. This is because Mauritian doctors undergo professional training in various countries of the world. To improve the status of human society, there is need for all health professions education institutions to include formal training within the curriculum and to provide continuing professional development training session in smoking cessation approaches and techniques.