Learning Objectives: assess how physicians’ practices of smoking cessation meet the clinical practice guidelines (i.e., the 5As).
Abstract:
Problem/Objective:To assess recent smoking cessation practices of physicians in East Texas and to determine whether physicians’ practices meet current clinical practice guidelines.
Methods:A questionnaire was sent by mail in May 2000 to 1955 physicians in East Texas. Four hundred six physicians returning the survey were included in this study. The questionnaire assessed a wide range of socio-demographics, physicians’ attitudes and their activities related to patients’ smoking cessation, which focused on the Ask/Advise/Assess/Assist/Arrange paradigm.
Results:The survey results indicated that physicians asked about smoking status and advised smokers to quit at a much higher rate than either assisting or arranging in patients’ quit attempts. The majority of physicians asked their patients about smoking and advised patients who smoke to quit, but less than half of physicians were willing to spend more time to conduct additional activities that involved other personnel or additional smoking cessation assistance to aid their patients in quitting, such as setting a quit plan, preparing for withdrawal symptoms, providing intratreatment social support and practice counseling. Furthermore, the majority of physician didn’t have a staff member schedule patients for follow-up visit.
Conclusions:Although the majority of physicians asks and advises patients to quit, there is still significant room for improvement, especially in both assisting and arranging in patients’ quit attempts. It is very important that physicians get training on how to assist patients to quit. As even brief interventions can increase rates of cessation in patients, physicians should incorporate this potentially life-saving activity into their treatment regime.
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Back to The 2003 National Conference on Tobacco or Health (December 10-12, 2003)