Real-time video counselling for smoking cessation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Telemedicine
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Real-time video communication offers a feasible and scalable platform for delivering smoking cessation support.
• Over four billion internet users worldwide can access free video communication software.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of real-time video counseling for smoking cessation.
• To evaluate its impact on quit attempts, adherence, satisfaction, and therapeutic alliance.
• To provide an economic evaluation of video counseling.

Main Methods:

• Searched multiple databases (Cochrane, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase) and clinical trial registries.
• Included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing real-time video counseling to no intervention or other interventions.
• Extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and used GRADE for evidence certainty. Performed random-effects meta-analysis.

Main Results:

• Two RCTs with 615 participants compared individual video counseling to telephone counseling.
• No statistically significant difference in smoking cessation rates (RR 2.15, 95% CI 0.38 to 12.04).
• Very low certainty evidence due to methodological limitations, imprecision, and inconsistency. No significant differences in quit attempts, adherence, or alliance, but higher recommendation likelihood for video counseling.

Conclusions:

• Limited evidence suggests real-time video counseling is not significantly different from telephone counseling for smoking cessation.
• Very low certainty evidence necessitates cautious interpretation.
• High-quality RCTs are needed to compare video counseling to telephone counseling and control groups.