The University of Wisconsin’s Tobacco Intervention Basic Skills curriculum (TIBS) was inaugurated to begin training 147 first-year
medical students in skills for promoting health behavior change. Learning activities included lecture, demonstration, reading,
quiz, role-play exercises, and standardized patient interviews. After TIBS, the 69 students who provided pre- and postintervention
data exhibited more therapeutic attitudes and increased knowledge and self-confidence in applying TIBS skills. Two months
later, 52% of the 109 posttest respondents had applied TIBS in clinical settings, often for behaviors other than tobacco use.
We conclude that medical students can gain from early training on promoting behavior change.
Key words undergraduate medical education - competency-based education - tobacco use cessation - health promotion - program evaluation
Many colleagues assisted with this project. Douglas Jorenby, PhD, Pat Kokotailo, MD, Doug Smith, MD, and Laura Zakowski, MD,
made many helpful suggestions on the curriculum. Marijka Hambrecht created web pages. Jane Banning, MS, trained the standardized
patients. Penny Anderson, June Daws, Michelle Grosch, Mark Johanneck, and Elizabeth Tuschen assisted with administrative arrangements.
Marlon Mundt, MA, assisted with statistical analysis. This project was supported by grant 1D16HP00067-01 from the U.S. Health
Resources and Services Administration.