Effectiveness of an Online Training Program on Brief Tobacco Intervention (BTI) for Nurses: A Quasi-Experimental Study. The E-Learning BTI Project.

Introduction: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths. The training of professionals on brief tobacco interventions (BTIs) increases the effectiveness of these interventions.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of an online training program on BTI based on the 5As and 5Rs model in acquiring anti-tobacco brief advice competencies among nurses.

Method: Quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design, with a control group and without random assignment. In the experimental group (EG), online training was provided in three sections: BTI theoretical content and methodology, clinical scenario videos, and feedback. Each scenario assessed the 5As and 5Rs as a validated instrument (BTI-Prof^(C)). The control group (CG) only assessed the three videos of clinical scenarios. In both groups, competence was measured at the following points in time: T0 (before the training), T1 (at the end of the training), and T2 (after 90 days). The efficacy of the intervention was measured through a two-way ANOVA, and the variation rate was calculated from T0 to T1 and from T0 to T2.

Results: 236 nurses participated (157 EG; 79 CG). The mean age was 42.9 years, and 76.7% were women. There was a significant group*time interaction in the three cases, indicating that the online BTI training increases the competence of these professionals in clinical scenario 1 (F = 10.210; p ≤ 0.001; η² = 0.081), clinical scenario 2 (F = 6.235; p = 0.002; η² = 0.051), and clinical scenario 3 (F = 11.271; p ≤ 0.001; η² = 0.090).

Conclusion: A brief, asynchronous, and online intervention using standardized video-based cases is effective in improving nurses' BTI competence. This type of training can be a useful option for the National Health System as part of a global and continuous strategy for nurses to perform BTI.

Clinical relevance: An asynchronous online training program provides nurses with standardized, evidence-based tools to implement brief tobacco interventions in routine care, offering a scalable and practical solution to strengthen preventive strategies in health systems.