Registered nurses’ perception of self‐efficacy and competence in smoking cessation after participating in a web‐based learning activity

Aims and objectives To describe how registered nurses having undergone a web‐based learning activity perceive their self‐efficacy and competence to support patients with smoking cessation in connection with surgery. Background Smoking cessation in connection with surgery reduces postoperative complications, and the support patients get from registered nurses may be important in helping them become smoke‐free in connection with their surgery. Therefore, registered nurses are in need of enhanced understanding about which kind of counselling is the most effective for smoking cessation. Educating large groups of registered nurses in a digital environment appears to be a flexible and cost‐effective way. Design and methods A convergent mixed‐method design with data collection was done using questionnaires (n = 47) and semistructured interviews (n = 11). Inclusion criteria were registered nurses in surgical wards. The samples were nonprobability and modified nested. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used for data analysis. Results After completing the web‐based learning activity, the registered nurses perception was that of good self‐efficacy and increased competence in supporting patients with smoking cessation in connection with surgery. They improved their understanding of how to talk about smoking cessation with patients in dialogue using open‐ended questions. Nevertheless, the registered nurses requested opportunities for dialogue and interaction with colleagues or topic experts. Conclusions The results indicate that registered nurses can enhance their competence in supporting patients to embrace smoking cessation by learning in a digital environment. Self‐efficacy and understanding of the topic seems to motivate registered nurses to counsel patients about smoking cessation. Relevance to clinical practice Findings from this study will be of particular interest to educators in healthcare settings who can devise further development of web‐based learning activities.