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Making time for tobacco cessation counseling
C R Jaén1, B F Crabtree, S J Zyzanski
1Department of Family Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo 14215, USA.
The Journal of Family Practice
|May 23, 1998
Summary
Community family physicians provide brief tobacco cessation advice, most often during wellness visits. This targeted intervention is feasible for all smokers encountered in primary care settings.
Area of Science:
- Primary Care Medicine
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Tobacco use remains a significant public health concern.
- Effective smoking cessation interventions are crucial in primary care.
- Understanding physician practices in advising patients to quit smoking is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency, patient targeting, and time commitment of tobacco cessation advice given by community family physicians.
- To analyze patterns of smoking cessation advice delivery in family practice settings.
Main Methods:
- Direct observation of 138 family physicians' outpatient visits over two days.
- Patient smoking status determined via questionnaire.
- Visit characteristics analyzed using observation and billing data.
- Comparison of visits with and without smoking cessation advice.
Main Results:
- Tobacco cessation advice was more frequent during wellness visits (55%) compared to illness visits (22%).
- Smokers with tobacco-related chronic illnesses received advice more often (32%) than those with non-tobacco-related chronic issues (17%).
- The average duration of advice was brief, under 1.5 minutes, with no significant variation across visit types.
Conclusions:
- Family physicians deliver brief, targeted interventions for smoking cessation.
- The study supports the practicality of integrating brief cessation advice into routine office visits for all smokers.
- Primary care settings are viable points for delivering smoking cessation support.