Smoking is one of the major causes of disease and death in the United States.
Yet, medical schools are not properly training students to help patients stop the habit. The researchers surveyed associate deans of all 126 U.S. medical schools to determine the content and extent of their curriculum that taught both basic tobacco education and intervention skills for dealing with patients with tobacco dependence. The major deficit is the lack of smoking cessation instruction and evaluation in the clinical years. According to information cited in the study, previous research has shown that tobacco use, America's leading cause of preventable death and disability, accounts for nearly a half-million premature deaths per year. To rectify these deficiencies, the National Cancer Institute and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research have recommended a basic science curriculum to prepare future doctors for dealing with patient smoking.