Unveiling the lessons from a virtual tobacco cessation program targeting surgical patients

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Public health
• Telehealth

Background:

• Smoking cessation reduces morbidity, mortality, and perioperative risks.
• Video-based telehealth offers a potential method for smoking cessation support.
• General surgery patients are a key demographic for cessation interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine patient engagement and participation rates in a video-based virtual point-of-care tobacco cessation program.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth counseling in general surgery clinics.
• To identify factors influencing patient engagement in virtual smoking cessation programs.

Main Methods:

• A video-based tobacco cessation program was implemented in three general surgery clinics.
• The program involved intake by a tobacco specialist nurse and ongoing support from an advanced practice provider.
• Patient engagement and participation were tracked throughout the cessation process.

Main Results:

• Out of 702 patients, 10.3% were referred, and 5.4% attended at least one session.
• No significant racial differences in participation were observed, though White patients showed higher progression.
• Patients with hernia and gastrointestinal diagnoses were more likely to engage in cessation sessions.

Conclusions:

• The virtual tobacco cessation program demonstrated low engagement and limited behavior change.
• The intervention may not have been suitable for the targeted general surgery patient population.
• Further studies are required to determine optimal engagement strategies for this demographic.