Smoking cessation counselling: impact of chart stickers and resident training

To assess the effect of a training program for smoking cessation combined with chart stickers on resident's (physicians-in-training) practice of counselling smoking patients.

A single centre prospective observational study at the Basel University Hospital Medical Outpatient Department.

456 consecutive outpatients were contacted by phone within 24 hours of their initial consultation. Information concerning questions asked about smoking and/or cessation advice provided by the resident to patients was collected and compared with a historical pre-interventional cohort using the identical questionnaire and study design.

Of 272 patients included, 106 (39%) were current smokers, 123 (45%) had never smoked, and 43 (16%) were former smokers. The mean age was 43 +/- 11 (range 16-87) years and 49% were male. Equal proportions of participants were in the pre-contemplation (40%) and contemplation stages (42%), 16% were preparing to quit and 2% had stopped in the previous 6 months. Results related to smoking cessation advice were compared to those obtained during an identical survey one year earlier performed prior to the intervention (pre-interventional). Residents questioned 82% (pre-interventional 81%) of the patients about smoking and inquired about smoking duration in 71% (pre-interventional 44%) of the patients. 46% (pre-interventional 28%) of the patients received information on smoking-related risks, whereas cessation was discussed with 32% (pre-interventional 10%) and offered to 23% (pre-interventional 9%) of the patients.

Compared with a historical pre-interventional cohort, the rates of patients receiving appropriate counselling approximately doubled following the introduction of systematic training on smoking cessation and chart labels. Extended regular training for physicians on smoking-related issues may have a potentially beneficial effect in improving counselling of smokers and meeting the global tobacco challenge.