Implementation of Effective Smoking Cessation Strategies for People Living with HIV: A Pilot Implementation Study

Use of tobacco products carries significant long-term health risks, and rates of smoking in persons living with HIV are as high as two to three times that of the general population. This study aimed to increase assessment of readiness to quit smoking and provide cessation counseling to patients receiving HIV care through an infectious disease clinic.

This study was a pilot implementation in a single-center teaching hospital. In total, 603 active patients with HIV were followed in clinic at the time of the study start; of these, 79 were active tobacco smokers (13%) and eligible for the intervention. Providers were educated on recommendations for tobacco smoking cessation counseling, intervention strategies, and options for treatment. Patients who smoked tobacco were assessed for readiness to quit. Cessation counseling and tobacco cessation mediations or nicotine replacement were provided at the discretion of the patient and physician based on visit discussions. Primary outcome measures were increase in assessment of readiness to quit and in providing cessation counseling. Secondary measures included tabulation of the number of patients provided with a tobacco smoking cessation treatment and those with a successful quit episode.

There was a moderate increase in patients assessed for readiness to quit and who received tobacco smoking cessation counseling and treatment medications during the pilot. In total, 11 patients (8.7%) reported quitting smoking for at least two weeks.

Additional work on streamlined mechanisms to identify tobacco use and provide efficient and effective tobacco smoking cessation counseling are needed in this high-risk population.