A smoking-cessation program consisting of extensive counseling, pharmacotherapy, and office spirometry: results of a pilot project in a Veterans Administration Medical Center.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the 1-year outcomes of a Veterans Administration smoking-cessation program that demonstrates a standard of care comprising extensive counseling, pharmacotherapy, and office spirometry.


METHODS
Prospective one-group pretest-posttest, with an intervention of state-of-the-art practice in smoking cessation.


METHODS
Outpatient clinic in a Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC).


METHODS
Two hundred fifty-two veterans receiving health care at the VAMC.


RESULTS
The primary outcome measured was the 1-year cessation rate of smokers. Demographic and clinical covariates also were collected. Of the 252 patients who enrolled in the program, 120 never quit smoking for even 1 day. Of the remaining 132 patients, 32 (24%) achieved long-term (1 yr) cessation. The number of visits to the clinic and the number of methods used during the attempt to quit were the only variables significantly associated with long-term smoking cessation (p<0.0001 for each).


CONCLUSIONS
The availability of a standard-of-practice clinic for smoking cessation within a primary care clinic can help patients who have a desire to quit. A combination of intensive counseling, pharmacotherapy, and office spirometry helped patients in a Veterans Administration population to achieve long-term smoking cessation.
Kennedy
Daniel T
DT
Department of Medical Therapeutics, Medical Affairs, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Inc., New York, New York, USA. daniel.kennedy@us.sanofi.com
Paulson
Daniel M
DM
Eddy
Tia D
TD
Patel
Pinki C
PC
Patkar
Anuprita D
AD
Holdford
David A
DA
Genina
Vera Y
VY
Griffin
Erin N
EN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D037001:Directive Counseling; D005260:Female; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012143:Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D013147:Spirometry; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans