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Anti-smoking advice in general practice consultations: general practitioners' attitudes, reported practice and
Summary
General practitioners (GPs) find anti-smoking advice most effective when linked to patient issues. Their positive attitudes towards discussing smoking correlate with higher cessation activity, but patient motivation remains a key challenge.
Area of Science:
- General Practice
- Public Health
- Smoking Cessation
Background:
- General practitioners' (GPs) anti-smoking advice is effective.
- GPs often miss opportunities to discuss smoking with patients.
- Understanding GP attitudes is crucial for improving smoking cessation interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Explore GPs' attitudes towards discussing smoking.
- Assess how attitudes influence anti-smoking advice quantity.
- Determine use of evidence-based interventions and identify encountered problems.
Main Methods:
- Postal survey of 468 GPs in Leicestershire.
- Attitudes assessed using a 13-statement Likert-type scale.
- GPs ranked preferred approaches and encountered problems in smoking cessation discussions.
Main Results:
- 70% response rate (327 GPs).
- 97% believed advice is more effective linked to presenting problems; 65% preferred this approach.
- 40% found advising all smokers appropriate; 76% cited patient lack of motivation as a problem.
- Positive attitudes correlated with higher reported smoking cessation activity.
Conclusions:
- GPs perceive anti-smoking advice as most effective when linked to patient complaints.
- This perception influences their approach to smoking cessation.
- GPs may be hesitant to adopt population-based strategies requiring universal smoking discussions.