Do specialist registrars fail smokers?
BACKGROUND
Medical and surgical SpRs were interviewed to determine what efforts they make to stop patients smoking.


METHODS
Telephone interview of 53 SpRs in the Oxford region.


RESULTS
The majority regularly asked whether patients smoked, few did anything about it. Surgical SpRs were less likely than medical SpRs to advise patients to stop, discuss smoking-related health problems, discuss the benefits of quitting or advise nicotine replacement therapy. Few SpRs had been trained to counsel smokers and less than half felt that their input helped patients to stop.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical education is lacking in teaching students and junior doctors how to help patients stop smoking.
Pursell
Roslyn
R
Department of Surgery, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, UK.
Galland
Robert B
RB
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention