Feasibility of Nurse-Managed Tobacco Use Interventions in Outpatient Surgical Practice

The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of developing and implementing a brief nurse-delivered tobacco intervention in an outpatient surgical practice.

Initial formative work used a survey and focus groups to determine knowledge, attitudes, and practices of perioperative nurses working in three outpatient surgical practices regarding smoking use and cessation. Based on this work, a brief intervention was designed and implemented in one of the three practices. The documentation of tobacco use and intervention elements was assessed both immediately and approximately 9 months after implementation.

Formative work identified not only several barriers to implementation and little current activity but also favorable attitudes toward interventions. Implementation improved self-efficacy for intervention delivery and compliance with documentation of intervention elements that was sustained for at least 9 months.

Our results suggest that it is feasible for perioperative nurses to play an important role in the delivery of perioperative tobacco interventions.