[Information group--a solution to increase the efficacy of specialized intervention for smoking cessation]

Since 2007, in Romania, the Ministry of Health implements the national programme for tobacco control which contains also a sub-programme for sustaining smoking cessation through free treatment and counselling. Because the specialised intervention lasts too long (often more than 60 minutes) and the requests for support increased with a high rate, we had to identify methods to increase the efficacity of the intervention and, thus, the efficiency. According to this new situation, since January 2008, all the smokers asking for support to the Center for Smoking Cessation from the National Institute of Pneumology "Marius Nasta" had to participate to an "information group" prior to visit to the doctor or/and psychologist for specialized help. The aim of this group is to offer the common information needed by all smokers and does not have any elements of group therapy. During 1st January 2008 - 31st December 2009, 829 smokers asked for help in Bucharest centers, from which 585 addressed to the physicians and 288 to the psychologists, a percentage being referred to both specialists. The smokers who are going directly to the specialist tend to choose only one specialist (67,8% doctor and 24% psychologist); only 8,1% are going to both specialists. In the meantime, those smokers who are participating to the information group, are using the services of both counsellors: 30,8% comparing with 28,2% only to doctor and 9,4% only to psychologist. Comparing with the smokers who went directly to the doctor, the smokers who underwent the group of information had an increased succes rate at 3 months after quiting with 27,8%. Also, the percentage of "lost" persons decreased with 51%. Participation to the information group increases the likelihood of attendance to both specialists by 2,8 times. The common approach of the smoker increased the abstinence rate independently of the participation to the information group: 44% increase for smokers who participated to the information group, and 67,3% for persons that directly addressed to the physician. In conclusion, organising an information group will increase the double approach of the smoker (by physician and psychologist) which, in turn, will increase the success rate and the efficiency of the medical act.