Smoking cessation education increases interventions in a New Zealand hospital: World No Tobacco Day revisited.
OBJECTIVE
To review the impact of educational and other measures on smoking cessation interventions delivered in a New Zealand hospital setting.


METHODS
The usage of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for inpatients was assessed by data gathered from the hospital pharmacy for a period before and after these educational measures.


RESULTS
Quarterly teaching sessions for house surgeons, monthly Effective Brief Intervention sessions for clinical staff and quarterly respiratory nurse training were delivered based on The New Zealand Guidelines for Smoking Cessation. In addition the Hutt Valley District Health Board (HVDHB) Smokefree Policy was revised from a business model to a treatment model. Over the 18 months after the educational initiatives were commenced the numbers of NRT units used in Hutt Hospital rose from a baseline of 768 to 3712--a fourfold increase.


CONCLUSIONS
The increase in NRT usage could be attributed to educative measures put in place. There is an opportunity for similar smoking cessation interventions to exist New Zealand wide; this could have a significant impact on reducing chronic disease.
Vega
Stephen
S
Hutt Valley District Health Board, Private Bag 31-907, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand. stephen.vega@huttvalleydhb.org.nz
Stolare
Iwona
I
D001294:Attitude to Health; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006767:Hospitals, District / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000639:trends*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention