Background: The emergency department (ED) visit provides a great opportunity to initiate interventions for\r\nsmoking cessation. However, little is known about ED patient preferences for receiving smoking cessation\r\ninterventions or correlates of interest in tobacco counseling.\r\nMethods: ED patients at 10 US medical centers were surveyed about preferences for hypothetical smoking\r\ncessation interventions and specific counseling styles. Multivariable linear regression determined correlates of\r\nreceptivity to bedside counseling.\r\nResults: Three hundred seventy-five patients were enrolled; 46% smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per day,\r\nand 11% had a smoking-related diagnosis. Most participants (75%) reported interest in at least one intervention.\r\nMedications were the most popular (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy, 54%), followed by linkages to hotlines or\r\nother outpatient counseling (33-42%), then counseling during the ED visit (33%). Counseling styles rated most\r\nfavorably involved individualized feedback (54%), avoidance skill-building (53%), and emphasis on autonomy (53%).\r\nIn univariable analysis, age (r = 0.09), gender (average Likert score = 2.75 for men, 2.42 for women), education\r\n(average Likert score = 2.92 for non-high school graduates, 2.44 for high school graduates), and presence of\r\nsmoking-related symptoms (r = 0.10) were significant at the p < 0.10 level and thus were retained for the final\r\nmodel. In multivariable linear regression, male gender, lower education, and smoking-related symptoms were\r\nindependent correlates of increased receptivity to ED-based smoking counseling.\r\nConclusions: In this multicenter study, smokers reported receptivity to ED-initiated interventions. However, there\r\nwas variability in individual preferences for intervention type and counseling styles. To be effective in reducing\r\nsmoking among its patients, the ED should offer a range of tobacco intervention options.
Loading....