title: Effectiveness of intervention to implement tobacco cessation counseling in community chain pharmacies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the feasibility of implementing ask-advise-refer (AAR) tobacco cessation counseling approach in community chain pharmacies serving low socioeconomic areas and to assess the effectiveness of a multimodal intervention on short-term implementation of AAR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  South-central Wisconsin from July 2008 through March 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pharmacists and technicians from 16 community chain pharmacies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Training to implement AAR, workflow integration recommendations, tobacco cessation poster to create awareness, and a support visit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Number of pharmacy patrons asked about tobacco use, number of tobacco users advised to quit, number of tobacco users enrolled in the quit line, and number of quit line cards given.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As hypothesized, the multimodal intervention significantly predicted the number of patrons asked to quit (estimate 4.84, incidence rate ratio 127.2, P < 0.001), number of tobacco users advised to quit (2.12, 8.33, P < 0.01), number of tobacco users enrolled in the quit line (2.31, 10.13, P < 0.001), and number of quit line cards given (1.04, 2.82, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This trial demonstrates the feasibility of implementing AAR in routine community pharmacy practice. This trial also supports the short-term effectiveness of the multimodal intervention in facilitating AAR in partnership with other public health systems. More research is needed to evaluate the generalizability, effectiveness, and sustainability of AAR, including factors influencing adoption and the impact on cessation.
authors: School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. pallavi.patwardhan@gmail.com
authors: Pallavi D
authors: PD
authors: Patwardhan
authors: Betty A
authors: BA
authors: Chewning
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010594:Pharmacies; D010595:Pharmacists; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D012923:Social Class; D020340:Tobacco Use Cessation / Q000379:methods*