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Screening for smokers in four Sydney teaching hospitals
R L Richmond1, A P Bell, S Rollnick
1National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Journal of Cardiovascular Risk
|April 1, 1996
Summary
Hospitalized smokers represent a key opportunity for cessation interventions. A screening tool can identify patients ready to quit cardiovascular disease-related smoking.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Cardiology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality and hospitalization.
- Hospital stays offer a crucial period for implementing smoking cessation programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess smoking prevalence and readiness to quit among hospitalized patients.
- To evaluate the utility of a screening questionnaire for identifying at-risk individuals for targeted interventions.
Main Methods:
- A self-completed questionnaire screened 2,815 patients across four Sydney teaching hospitals.
- Data collected included demographics, tobacco/alcohol use, attitudes, and readiness to change high-risk behaviors.
- The Prochaska and DiClemente model was adapted to measure readiness to change tobacco use.
Main Results:
- 31% of patients (877) were smokers, with higher prevalence in men (33%) than women (24%).
- Smoking predictors included sex, age, marital status, education, and socioeconomic status.
- Among smokers, 38% were ready to quit, 43% were contemplating, and 18% were in precontemplation.
Conclusions:
- Approximately one-third of hospitalized patients are smokers, highlighting hospitals as ideal settings for brief interventions.
- A detection instrument effectively identifies patients ready to change tobacco use, enabling targeted bedside interventions.
- This approach facilitates the management of patients with or at risk for cigarette-related diseases like cardiovascular disease.