Jennifer Greyber

Dec 18, 2023

Research Roundup: Recent Publications by Duke-UNC TTS Faculty and Staff

by Anisha Tyagi, MSW Student, UNC at Chapel Hill School of Social Work

The Duke-UNC TTS Training Program benefits from a deep bench of top researchers, clinicians, and educators who publish regularly on advances in tobacco cessation. In this post, we highlight a sampling of articles published by Duke-UNC TTS Training Program faculty and staff in 2022 and 2023.

 

Access to effective smoking cessation medications in patients with medicare, medicaid and private insurance

Published in Public Health in Practice, Volume 6, December 2023, 100427

TTS Program Authors: James Davis, Luisa Masclans

 

Medicare patients are significantly more likely to face financial barriers to accessing effective smoking cessation medications compared to patients with Medicaid or private insurance. Advocating for improved coverage of smoking cessation medications under Medicare and reducing this disparity is essential to lower rates of smoking abstinence for all patients.

 

Adaptive Smoking Cessation Using Pre Cessation Varenicline or Nicotine Patch A Randomized Clinical Trial

Published in JAMA Network Open,  2023;6(9)

TTS Program Authors: James Davis, Luisa Masclans

 

Adaptive pharmacotherapy, in which medication regimens are modified based on patient response, was more effective than standard pharmacotherapy in this randomized clinical trial. Tailoring smoking cessation medication regimens to individual patients' needs can lead to improved outcomes.

 

Data Envelopment Analysis to Evaluate the Efficiency of Tobacco Treatment Programs in the NCI Moonshot Cancer Center Cessation Initiative

Published in Implementation Science Communications volume 4; 50 (2023)

TTS Program Authors: Kimberly Shoenbill

Using DEA, a linear programming technique, Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) programs were assessed, and most were technically inefficient relative to the most efficient center benchmark and may be improved by optimizing the use of inputs (e.g., cost-per-participant) relative to program outcomes (e.g., reach, effectiveness).

 

History of the Relationship Between Smoking and Bladder Cancer: A Public Health Perspective 

Published in Urology, August 13, 2022

TTS Program Authors: Kimberly Shoenbill

An historical narrative of the discovery of the link between smoking and bladder cancer, from initial suspicions to definitive proof, with Surgeon General's Reports serving as evidence.

Integrating Tobacco Treatment Into Oncology Care: Reach and Effectiveness of Evidence-Based Tobacco Treatment Across National Cancer Institute–Designated Cancer Centers

Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2023 May 20; 41(15): 2756–2766

TTS Program Authors: Kimberly Shoenbill

A cross-sectional study using survey data from 28 Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) centers found that tobacco treatment program reach may improve when there is a lower staff-to-patient ratio and whole-center program implementation across inpatients and outpatients. Continued innovative efforts are needed to identify strategies to engage patients and to determine which patients would benefit from which tobacco treatment interventions.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tobacco Treatment Program Implementation at National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers

Published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 25, Issue 2, February 2023, Pages 345–349,

TTS Program Authors: Kimberly Shoenbill

 

COVID-19’s impact on tobacco cessation treatment for cancer patients was explored in a sequential cross-sectional analysis of data from 34 C31 centers. Due to a rapid transition to telehealth program delivery, centers adapted to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Comparison of Virtual and In-Person Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training

Published in Telehealth and Medicine Today, Vol. 8 No. 5 (2023)

TTS Program Authors: James Davis, Jennifer Greyber, Jillian Dirkes, Sonia Clark

The Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Training Program transitioned from in-person to virtual trainin during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this observational study compared attendance and evaluation at three courses in each format (in-person in 2019 and virtual in 2020). There was higher attendance and wider geographical reach, without a loss in quality, for the virtual format.

Register for an upcoming Duke-UNC TTS Training Program to learn from these and other experts in tobacco treatment, education, and policy. Our next Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program begins on March 18, 2024--register soon to get the Early Bird discount!

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