Interest in smoking cessation among emergency department patients.
The authors interviewed adult patients presenting to 4 Boston emergency departments (EDs) about their smoking, quit attempts, and interest in an outpatient referral. Of the 539 patients enrolled, 26% were current smokers. Of the current smokers, 72% had tried to quit in the past year, and 34% wanted an outpatient referral. Current smokers were younger than nonsmokers and were less likely to have a high school education, primary care provider, and private insurance. The findings of this study reinforce the potential benefit of routine screening for smoking and interest in quitting in the ED. Because many underinsured Americans use the ED as a source of regular health care, the public health implications of increasing screening, counseling, and referral for smokers are substantial.
Boudreaux
Edwin D
ED
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey--Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Cooper University Hospital, Newark, NJ 08103, USA. boudreaux-edwin@cooperhealth.edu
Kim
Sunghye
S
Hohrmann
Jessica L
JL
Clark
Sunday
S
Camargo
Carlos A
CA
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003376:Counseling; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention