[Smoking cessation in a rehabilitation center]

Diseases related to smoking are of enormous social and medical importance and thereby justify great efforts in all areas of prevention. Apart from the general practitioner, the hospital probably provides the ideal setting to motivate smokers to give up smoking. In the past 5 years 656 patients participated in such a programme in our rehabilitation centre. After an average of 1 year 265 of these patients were interviewed about their smoking habits. 40% of them had completely given up smoking. As we can see, the long-term results are good. Programmes to help smokers to give up their habit are certainly necessary and have successfully been tested.