Smoking is a risk factor for more disease processes than any other risk factor and causes more deaths than any other cause.
Smoking affects practically every part of the human body.
The study of cigarette smoking is an excellent model for understanding epidemologic principles. Therefore, every medical student should be thoroughly knowledgeable in the prevalence, causes, short and long term effects, treatment, surveillance, and prevention of cigarette smoking and its' consequences before graduating from medical school. Because no one medical specialty or any single field of medical study contains all the pertinent information about cigarette smoking, smoking should be in the curriculum of every course taught in medical school as part of a well-designed, comprehensive, longitudinal four year curriculum. Demonstrate proper surveillance and primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies regarding cigarette smoking. Utilize proper surveillance and primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies with every patient contact as well as role model nonuse of tobacco products.