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Smoking cessation interventions in rural family practices: an UPRNet study
J W Sesney1, N E Kreher, J M Hickner
1Upper Peninsula Campus of the College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, Escanaba, USA. John_Sesney@UPRNet.tfnet.org
The Journal of Family Practice
|June 1, 1997
Summary
Family physicians tailor smoking cessation interventions based on patient visit reasons and readiness to quit. Smokers not ready to quit were less likely to receive advice during medical visits.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Clinical Medicine
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Primary care physicians are encouraged to provide smoking cessation counseling.
- Effective interventions include identifying smokers, brief counseling, referrals, and nicotine replacement therapy.
- Little research has focused on the context of patient visits for smoking cessation advice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if patients' reasons for visits and self-reported readiness to quit influence the likelihood and type of smoking cessation interventions offered by family physicians.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 455 smokers across 15 rural family medicine clinics in northern Michigan.
- A 1-page exit questionnaire was administered to patients immediately post-visit.
- Physicians were unaware of the study's specific aims.
Main Results:
- Nearly half (47%) of physicians provided some form of smoking cessation intervention.
- Intervention frequency significantly correlated with patients' reasons for visits (P = .01).
- Intervention frequency also significantly differed based on readiness to quit (P < .001), with less frequent interventions for precontemplative smokers.
Conclusions:
- Family physicians adjust the frequency of smoking cessation interventions based on patient visit reasons and their stage of readiness to quit.
- This suggests a patient-centered approach to delivering smoking cessation support in primary care settings.