Practice-based referrals to a tobacco cessation quit line: assessing the impact of comparative feedback vs general reminders.
OBJECTIVE
We undertook a study to assess the impact of comparative feedback vs general reminders on practice-based referrals to a tobacco cessation quit line and estimated costs for projected quit responses.


METHODS
We conducted a group-randomized clinical trial comparing the impact of 6 quarterly (18 months) feedback reports (intervention) with that of general reminders (control) on practice-based clinician referrals to a quit-line service. Feedback reports were based on an Achievable Benchmark of Care approach using baseline practice, clinician, and patient survey responses, and referrals per quarter. Comparable quit responses and costs were estimated.


RESULTS
Three hundred eight clinicians participated (171 family medicine, 88 internal medicine, 49 obstetrics-gynecology) from 87 primary care practices in Michigan. After 18 months, there were more referrals from the intervention than from the control practices (484 vs 220; P <.001). Practice facsimile (fax) referrals (84%, n = 595) exceeded telephone referrals (16%, n = 109), but telephone referrals resulted in greater likelihood of enrollment (77% telephone vs 44% fax, P <.001). The estimated number of smokers who quit based on the level of services utilized by referred smokers was 66 in the feedback and 36 in the gentle reminder practices.


CONCLUSIONS
Providing comparative feedback on clinician referrals to a quit-line service had a modest impact with limited increased costs.
Wadland
William C
WC
Department of Family Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1313, USA. wadland@msu.edu
Holtrop
Jodi Summers
JS
Weismantel
David
D
Pathak
Pramod K
PK
Fadel
Huda
H
Powell
Jeff
J
D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D017010:Reminder Systems / Q000191:economics; D020340:Tobacco Use Cessation / Q000379:methods*