Implementation of a Theory-Driven and Evidence-Based Posthospital Discharge Tobacco Cessation Pilot Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Tobacco use is linked to adverse health outcomes.
• Hospitalized smokers may temporarily quit using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
• Sustaining cessation after hospital discharge remains a challenge for most patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare smoking cessation rates at two months post-discharge between patients prescribed NRT and those not prescribed NRT (nNRT).

Main Methods:

• Adult smokers (19-65 years) were randomized to receive NRT or nNRT.
• The primary outcome was self-reported smoking cessation at two months.
• Secondary outcomes included smoking decline and Transtheoretical Model (TTM) stage progression.

Main Results:

• Two-month cessation rates were 53.8% for NRT versus 57.1% for nNRT (p = .86).
• The NRT group showed a greater decline in tobacco use (27.7%) compared to the nNRT group (8.33%).
• While not statistically significant, findings suggest clinical significance with progress in behavior change for both groups.

Conclusions:

• NRT did not yield statistically significant higher cessation rates at two months post-discharge compared to nNRT.
• Both NRT and nNRT groups demonstrated positive behavior change and progress.
• Nurses should consider NRT during admission and discharge, supplemented by TTM-based interventions for sustained cessation.