Use of a self-help smoking cessation manual as an adjunct to advice from a respiratory specialist

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of a self-help smoking cessation manual for patients with pulmonary disease. All patients were advised to quit smoking by a respiratory specialist. Thirty-five patients were then provided with a manual detailing techniques for quitting; the remaining 40 patients served as a control and were given no additional information or instruction following advice. The cessation rate in the treatment group was 16.7%; and in the control group, 25.6%. This difference was not statistically significant. Approximately half of the patients who received the manual used it, and only 12.5% of the users found it helpful. It was concluded that providing patients with the specific instructions on quitting smoking as presented in the manual did not appear to be useful.