Kanchan Bhattarai, DNP, RN, was accepted for a podium presentation of her dissertation study at the prestigious 2024 State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research, hosted by the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS), a part of the American Academy of Nursing. Her presentation was titled Improving tobacco and nicotine dependence treatment education in a DNP Program.

The study's purpose was focused on adult smokers who visited healthcare providers,44.4 percent did not receive any cessation advice/counseling. Providers identified lack of training and confidence as a barriers to providing tobacco/nicotine dependence treatment. This study's purpose was to determine if improving tobacco/nicotine dependence treatment educational curriculum would increase DNP students' knowledge, motivation and confidence in helping people quit tobacco and nicotine, and comfort with providing information about cessation medications, program and services, and referrals.This educational intervention included online evidence-based education with an in-class presentation and toolkit. The sample was DNP students.

No student had previous tobacco/nicotine treatment training. Students' motivation was high pre-education. Significant increases, pre- to post-education, were found in knowledge, confidence, and comfort in helping patients quit and in providing information about cessation medications, programs and services, and referrals. This study advances the science needed to effectively integrate tobacco/nicotine dependence treatment education into DNP curriculum.