[Smoke-free psychiatry in Germany: A closer look]

In order to protect non-smokers, the federal states of Germany have adopted a law that provides for extensive smoking bans. In many of these federal laws, acute psychiatric facilities are treated as an exception. Therefore, it is often up to the institutions themselves to develop and enforce regulations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the situation in acute psychiatric facilities.

The survey was created on the basis of previously evaluated questionnaires and consisted of 53 questions. A total of 289 hospitals were contacted. Participants were invited to take part in the survey via e-mail.

59 hospitals (20.4 %) participated in the survey. Binding regulations were in place in 48 (81.4 %) hospitals, in 26 (44.1 %), smoking was prohibited on open wards. Three hospitals (5.1 %) strictly prohibited smoking on locked wards. Stop-smoking medication was available in 31 (55.3 %) hospitals. 19 (32.2 %) offered smoking cessation interventions. 22 (37.3 %) hospitals have set up a working group on the subject.

Currently, the issue of smoking in psychiatric facilities does not receive enough attention. The physical and mental health of psychiatric patients would benefit from a smoke-free policy. In order to achieve this, psychiatric staff and patients need appropriate support.