Project ECHO: TEACH

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death killing more than 480,000 people a year. The current adult smoking prevalence rate in the United States is 14.0% which is estimated to be 32.3 million adults. In Texas, there is a prevalence rate of 15.7% or 3.3 million adults who currently smoke. approximately the same as the national average of 13.9%. However, smoking rates hide the elevated prevalence among certain populations such as youth and those with behavioral health disorders. For example, research shows that the smoking rates in the behavioral health population is more than 40%. That's more than double the smoking prevalence of the general population. Effective behavioral interventions and pharmacologic treatments for tobacco use and dependence exist and are very cost-effective, but are underutilized. Therefore, it is critical to reach these patients with tobacco and nicotine cessation services tailored to their needs and environment.

Studies estimate that each year family medicine practices have approximately 240 million opportunities to impact the tobacco use behaviors of Americans. Other studies have found that physicians and non-physicians produce the best results using multiple intervention strategies, and that self-help strategies alone are ineffective. This highlights current evidence that the most effective tobacco use treatment approach is combined counseling and pharmocotherapy.

The goal of Project TEACH is to increase access to and sustain specialized tobacco cessation practices among varying health care providers and educators using the Project ECHO framework created by The University of New Mexico. We also offer health care providers the opportunity to attend our Certified Tobacco Treatment Training Program, and intensive training which equips providers with the tools they need to deliver expert care to those using tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems. Attendees of this training can utilize Project TEACH as a resource to sustain and enhance the tobacco treatment specialists' training curriculum following the intensive in-person training.

Through Project ECHO: TEACH, MD Anderson engages with over 250 healthcare providers in Texas, the U.S. and around the world to increase provider knowledge and skills to treat tobacco and nicotine addiction among the patients and community they serve. An article describing how TEACH was used in its early stages, throughout Texas local mental health authorities can be found here: Cogent Medicine.

To address smoking and other tobacco use among psychiatric consumers in Texas, in 2015, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) awarded a grant to Rice University, The University of Houston, and Integral Care in Austin entitled "Taking Texas Tobacco Free (TTTF): Expanding the Integral Care Campus and Community Model into a Statewide Cancer Prevention Program" (PP130032; Co- PIs: Lam & Reitzel).

Expanding upon the goals of TTTF, Project TEACH was created by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in collaboration with TTTF investigators (UH, Rice, Integral Care in Austin), supported financially by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Moon Shots Program® and implemented by teams in Behavioral Science and the EndTobacco Program within the Cancer Prevention and Control Platform. 

Curriculum Topics

Click on any of the following links to view/download our previous slide presentations

• Motivational Interviewing in Tobacco Cessation: An Overview - Part I
• Neurobiology of Nicotine Dependence

Publications

• Cogent Medicine

Instructions to submit new cases:

1. Download the following template for cases: ECHO-TEACH Case Presentation Template
2. Fill out the form (auto-fill available)
3. Send to endtobacco@mdanderson.org by Friday morning

Continuing Education Credit

Instructions to obtain CME credit for attendance at the ECHO-TEACH clinic:

1. Review the following document for CME credit 
   CME Information/CME Disclosure Summary
2. Contact endtobacco@mdanderson.org to get the CME evaluation links
3. Complete the survey

Note: The CME survey link becomes active at the end of the clinic and expires at 10 a.m. the following Monday

Instructions to obtain CEU credit for attendance at the ECHO-TEACH Clinic:  

• Contact us by emailing endtobacco@mdanderson.org

Upcoming Events

• ECHO Clinic: Every Tuesday from 12-1 p.m. CST

Project TEACH Schedule

• September 2019 - March 2020