Intervention study to improve smoking cessation during hospitalization

In France, hospitals have been smoke free since February 2007. A period of hospitalization may be a good time to enhance a smoker's motivation to quit. This study aimed to assess whether training medical staff in smoking cessation management might improve the rate of smoking cessation during hospitalization.

Non-randomized intervention study.

Staff of the participating care units either received (intervention group) or did not receive (control group) training in smoking cessation management. The dependent variable was the proportion of inpatients that continued to smoke before (Period 1) and after (Period 2) the training session.

In total, 358 patients were included. In Period 1, 55.6% and 50% of the smokers from the intervention and control groups stopped smoking, respectively; the corresponding rates in Period 2 were 64.3% and 48.1%. In Period 2, 36.4% and 31.8% of the smokers from the intervention and control groups claimed that they had received motivational counselling. In the intervention group, the request rate for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) was higher (41.7%) compared with the control group (11.1%). In both groups, patients asked for NRT more often (P < 0.001) when they had received motivational counselling.

This study was not able to demonstrate that training medical staff in smoking cessation management has a significant impact on smoking cessation in hospitalized smokers. The delivery of medium-intensity support to all smokers appears to be out of reach of physician/nurse teams. New strategies are needed, including a team specifically dedicated to the problems of addiction.