title: Evaluation of a hospital-based tobacco treatment service: outcomes and lessons learned.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The efficacy of smoking cessation interventions for hospital patients has been well described, but we know little regarding implementation and outcomes of real-world programs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the services provided and outcomes of an academic medical center-based tobacco treatment service (UKanQuit) located in the Midwestern United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive observational study. Both quantitative and qualitative data of all patients treated by UKanQuit over a 1-year period were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 513 patients served, average interest in quitting was 7.9, standard deviation (SD) 2.9 on a scale of 0 to 10. More than 1 in 4 had been given an in-hospital medication to ameliorate withdrawal prior to seeing a counselor. Counselors recommended medication changes for 1 in 3 patients, helped 73% set a goal for quitting or reducing tobacco use, and fax referred 56% to quitlines. Six-month follow-up (response rate, 46%) found a 7-day abstinence rate of 32% among respondents for an intent-to-treat abstinence rate of 15%. Post-discharge, 74% made at least one serious quit attempt, 34% had used a quit smoking medication, but only 5% of those referred to the quitline reported using it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a hospital setting, interest in quitting is high among smokers who requested to see a tobacco counselor but administration of inpatient medications remains low. Many smokers are making unassisted quit attempts post-discharge because utilization of cessation medications and quitline counseling were low. Fax-referral to quitline may not, on its own, fulfill guideline recommendations for post-discharge follow-up.
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas School of Medicine and University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, Kansas, USA. bfaseru@kumc.edu
authors.forename: Babalola
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Faseru
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruder
authors.forename: Christie A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Befort
authors.forename: Edward F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Ellerbeck
authors.forename: Kimber P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Richter
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome