Hospital efforts in smoking control: remaining barriers and challenges.
BACKGROUND
This study reports the barriers and challenges for hospital tobacco control efforts after the institution of smoke-free policies.


METHODS
Surveys of employees and inpatients of five hospitals in Augusta, Georgia, were conducted and evaluated 4 months after joint hospital implementation of smoke-free policies. A random sample of 1997 employees and a convenience sample of 517 inpatients returned usable surveys.


RESULTS
Although attitudes to the hospital bans on smoking reflected strong support for smoke-free policies, four out of five hospitals reported significant implementation problems. Despite the bans, 49% of patients who were smokers continued to smoke while hospitalized, and almost one half of all hospitalized smokers had received no advice to quit smoking from a physician or a nurse since admission. Employees and patients both agreed that the smoke-free policies had benefited employees more than patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite achieving a smoke-free status, there are many challenges that remain for comprehensive hospital tobacco-control efforts. Hospitals and health care professionals must remain particularly alert and attentive to the needs of patients and employees still addicted to tobacco.
Goldstein
A O
AO
Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Westbrook
W R
WR
Howell
R E
RE
Fischer
P M
PM
D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D012494:Sampling Studies; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution