METHODS
The target audience for the project and training material will be healthcare professionals in Eastern Europe with a specific focus on participants from Romania, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Russia. Our goal is to develop an accreditation curriculum for tobacco cessation clinicians in Eastern Europe for which we propose the following methods
Aim 1
To develop a tobacco treatment training course for healthcare professional in Eastern Europe
Aim 1.1: Develop a multidisciplinary and international faculty of experts on tobacco treatment, policy and advocacy.
Aim 1.2: Create a curriculum/training project (EPACTT) on tobacco treatment for healthcare professionals based on regional and international best practices
Aim 1.3: Perform pilot testing and refinement of the EPACTT Project. During this phase we will also update and publish the ENSP-QS guidelines on smoking cessation in Ukrainian, Georgian and Armenian.
Aim 2
To deliver the EPACTT project training and enhance networking capacity
Aim 2.1: Deliver Phase 1 of the hybrid training course: online modules and theory. This type of delivery is typically presented as an asynchronous training intervention and consists of the learner having to work through a digitally prepared resource.
Aim 2.2: Deliver Phase 2 of the hybrid training course: postgraduate hands on practical training. Phase 2 will incorporate the practical aspects of tobacco training and will be an intense two-day meeting that will employ teaching techniques, such as role-play and case study approaches, known to enhance up-take into practice. Additional sessions will take place on general tobacco control, as well as sessions for increasing advocacy skills in tobacco control.
Aim 2.3: Perform final examination (Phase 3). Following the postgraduate course and workshop (Phase 1 and Phase 2), each participant will receive a link to the final online knowledge test. Participants will be expected to complete the online test within 4 weeks of attending the course. On successful completion of the test they will be awarded the EPACTT certificate.
Aim 2.4: Perform project evaluation. The results of the project evaluation will be used to assess both the success of the project in increasing the knowledge and behavioral capacity of the health professionals but also identify areas of the EPACTT model that should be refined and altered prior to its further expansion.