Providers' smoking cessation attitudes and practices for older patients

A mail survey of 136 providers in a health maintenance organization in the Chicago metropolitan area examined smoking cessation attitudes and performance of the 4As protocol (asking, advising, assisting, arranging) for patients aged 50 years or older. Asking about smoking was most frequent, followed by arranging, advising, and assisting. Physicians and nurse practitioners performed each of the 4As more often than did registered and licensed practical nurses. In multiple logistic regression analyses, provider type was the only significant predictor of asking about smoking. Advising, assisting, and arranging follow-ups were more likely to be performed by providers who perceived a sense of professional responsibility about older patients' smoking; advising was more likely for providers who perceived that they had enough time to advise older patients about smoking; and assisting and arranging were more likely for providers with a stronger sense of self-efficacy for helping older patients stop smoking.