Virtual counselling of tobacco cessation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study on the experiences and perceptions of Malaysian dental undergraduates and their patients.

INTRODUCTION: When dental institutions had to close down during the Movement Control Order (MCO) implementation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dental students were faced with delays in completing their tobacco cessation schedule. An alternative was to allow students to conduct virtual counselling (VC) for smoking cessation for their patients to address their clinical requirements. This study aimed to explore Malaysian dental undergraduates' and patients' experiences undergoing smoking cessation counselling through virtual platforms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study consisted of qualitative, semi-structured Focus Group Discussions (for students, n = 23) and in-depth interviews (for patients, n = 9); to phenomenologically describe the perceptions of participants involved in the VC. Each session was recorded with the participants' permission. The recorded session was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using the qualitative data analysis software, NVivo™. RESULTS: The major themes that emerged were: (1) General opinions and experiences, (2) Content of VCs, (3) Remote access to counselling, (4) Patient-clinician relationships, (5) Technical issues, (6) Changes after VCs, and (7) Future application. Most students and patients were quite comfortable with VC as it is convenient, allowing students to be creative and avoid the hassle of transport and traffic. However, some of the students felt that it lacked the personal touch and guidance from lecturers who would normally be present during physical class. CONCLUSION: Virtual counselling enables remote access to counselling, but it is also subjected to some limitations, especially regarding lack of clinical assessments, human touch and internet issues. Though participants were optimistic about adapting it in the future, multiple factors must be considered. Ultimately, the behavioural change will depend on the patient's motivation in making a difference.

Mapping the Malaysian Smoking Cessation Clinics: A Geographic Information System-Based Study.

Although geographic information system-based studies are particularly increasing in other sectors, few have embraced their full potential in health services allocation in Malaysia. This study aimed to produce a visual map on the distribution of smoking cessation clinics (SCCs) in Malaysia and analyze its pattern against the national population of smokers. SCC addresses were obtained from the government website and mapped using geographic information system tools. A total of 199 and 449 private and public SCCs was mapped throughout the country, respectively. The lowest SCC to smoker population ratio was in the state of Negeri Sembilan with 1:3000. The highest SCC to smoker population ratio was in Sabah with 1 SCC for 15 000 smokers. Almost 70% of SCCs were primary health clinics. Smoking cessation clinics were distributed throughout all the states in Malaysia except the state of Sabah.