title: Novel strategy to stop cigarette smoking by surgical patients: pilot study in a preadmission clinic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence-based guidelines suggest that all services, wards and clinics within hospitals consider smoking status a vital sign and routinely provide cessation care. Despite this, such opportunities are currently under-utilized. The aim of the present pilot study was to determine the potential effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of computer delivery of smoking cessation advice to surgical preadmission patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  All smokers attending a non-cardiac surgical preadmission clinic at the John Hunter Hospital, New South Wales, completed a brief computerized smoking cessation intervention programme. Nine months following completion of the programme, patients completed a follow-up telephone interview that assessed their smoking status and the acceptability of the programme.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At follow up, 22 of the 37 participants (60.0%) reported that they had stopped smoking prior to their surgery 9 months previously. Of the 37 participants at follow up, five reported that they were no longer smokers at that time, a cessation rate of 13.5%. Among those patients still smoking, a trend toward smoking fewer cigarettes was evident. Of the 56 smokers at baseline, all completed the computerized smoking cessation programme, with an average completion time of 21 min. A large majority of the smokers (80%) and non-smokers (88%) found that the provision of smoking cessation advice by the computer was appropriate and acceptable. Extrapolation of the results to a full year suggests a cost per quitter of $443.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An interactive computerized smoking cessation programme is an acceptable and feasible method of routinely encouraging surgical preadmission clinic patients to stop or reduce their smoking. Further development and testing of the efficacy of this approach is required.
authors.affiliation: Hunter Centre for Health Advancement, Wallsend, Australia.
authors.forename: Melanie J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Haile
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wiggers
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D  Spigelman
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Robyn J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Considine
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000289:Admitting Department, Hospital; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*