title: Smoking cessation intervention in a cardiovascular hospital based clinical setting.
abstract: Introduction. Smoking is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally and it is a significant modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other chronic diseases. Efforts to encourage and support smokers to quit are critical to prevent premature smoking-associated morbidity and mortality. Hospital settings are seldom equipped to help patients to quit smoking thus missing out a valuable opportunity to support patients at risk of smoking complications. We report the impact of a smoking cessation clinic we have established in a tertiary care hospital setting to serve patients with CVD. Methods. Patients received behavioural and pharmacological treatments and were followed up for a minimum of 6 months (mean 541 days, SD 197 days). The main study outcome is ≥50% reduction in number of cigarettes smoked at followup. Results. One hundred and eighty-six patients completed ≥6 months followup. More than half of the patients (52.7%) achieved ≥50% smoking reduction at follow up. Establishment of a plan to quit smoking and use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) were significantly associated with smoking reduction at followup. Conclusions. A hospital-based smoking cessation clinic is a beneficial intervention to bring about smoking reduction in approximately half of the patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4L8 ; Population Genomics Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1 ; Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1 ; Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8N 3K7.
authors.forename: Zainab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Samaan
authors.forename: Barb
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nowacki
authors.forename: Karleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Magloire
authors.forename: Sonia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Anand