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Hospital-based smoking cessation programs: a statewide survey.
1Connecticut Department of Public Health, Hartford, USA.
Connecticut Medicine
|December 28, 2000
Summary
Hospitalized smokers represent a missed opportunity for smoking cessation. Few hospitals offer programs specifically for inpatients, reaching only a small fraction of those who could benefit from smoking cessation interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
- Smoking Cessation
Background:
- Hospitalization presents a critical opportunity for smoking cessation interventions.
- The extent to which hospitalized smokers are engaged in cessation programs remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the proportion of hospitalized smokers reached by hospital-based smoking cessation programs.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 31 acute-care hospitals in Connecticut regarding smoking cessation programs.
- Data collected between March and April 2000.
Main Results:
- 25 out of 31 hospitals (80.6%) had smoking cessation programs.
- Only 3 hospitals had programs specifically targeting inpatients.
- These 3 programs reached several hundred patients annually.
- Most hospital programs engaged few inpatients.
Conclusions:
- Hospital-based smoking cessation programs reach a small minority of hospitalized smokers.
- Hospitalized smokers are largely a missed opportunity for long-term smoking cessation.
- Enhanced strategies are needed to improve patient reach for inpatient smoking cessation programs.