ExHALED study: prevalence of smoking and harm levels in an emergency department cohort

To determine the prevalence of smoking among ED patients compared with the general New Zealand (NZ) smoking prevalence. Secondary outcomes were to determine smokers' level of nicotine dependence, readiness to quit and engagement with primary health care.

This was a prospective, cross-sectional prevalence study of ED patients seen consecutively over 6 days in Wellington Hospital, Wellington South, NZ. Medically stable patients > or = 18 years were asked about their smoking habits by a closed-question survey.

Five hundred and twenty-eight patients comprised the study group. The ED smoking prevalence was 33.1% and higher than the general NZ smoking prevalence of 20.7%. Of those who smoked, 26.3% were 'moderately' to 'very highly' dependent on nicotine (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, FTND score > or = 5). Of those who smoked, 74.9% stated they wanted to quit, 42.9% wanted to quit within the next month and 60.6% wanted an ED quit smoking pack. There were 13.6% of ED patients not registered with a general practitioner; of this, 61.1% were current smokers and 70.5% wanted to quit smoking.

The prevalence rates of smoking are higher among patients attending Wellington Hospital ED than the general NZ population and the majority would like to quit smoking. One in four ED smokers have a high FTND score and are considered nicotine-dependent. Many patients who were not registered with a general practitioner smoked, and the majority wanted to quit. Finally, there is significant interest from ED patients in receiving quit smoking packs from the ED.