title: Use of action planning to increase provision of smoking cessation care by general practitioners: role of plan specificity and enactment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Strategies are needed to help general practitioners (GPs) promote smoking cessation as recommended by guidelines. This study examines whether the quality of action planning among GPs improves their provision of smoking cessation care.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effectiveness of a 1-h training programme was examined in a cluster randomised controlled trial in which 49 GPs participated. GPs who followed the training (intervention group; n = 25) formulated action plans related to i) enquiring about smoking, ii) advising to quit smoking, and iii) arranging follow-up for smokers motivated to quit. GPs also formulated a coping plan for encountering smokers not motivated to quit. The quality of these plans (plan specificity) was rated and, 6 weeks after the training, GPs reported on the performance of these plans (plan enactment). Multilevel regression analyses were used to examine the effects of plan specificity and plan enactment on patient-reported smoking cessation activities of the GPs in the intervention group (n = 1,632 patients) compared with the control group (n = 1,769 patients).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the control group, GPs who formulated a highly specific action plan during the training asked their patients about smoking more often after the training compared to prior to the training (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.51-2.95). GPs were most likely to have asked patients about smoking after the training compared to prior to the training when they had enacted a highly specific formulated action plan (OR 3.08, 95% CI 2.04-4.64). The effects of GP plan specificity and plan enactment on asking patient about smoking were most prominent among GPs who, at baseline, intended to provide smoking cessation care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A highly specific action plan formulated by a GP on when, how, and by whom patients will be asked about smoking had a positive effect on GPs' asking patients about smoking, especially when these professionals also reported to have enacted this plan. This effect was most prominent among GPs who intended to provide smoking cessation care prior to the intervention. Training in devising personalised coping plans is recommended to further increase GPs' provision of advice to quit smoking and arranging follow-up support to quit smoking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. m.e.a.verbiest@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Marjolein E A
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Verbiest
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Baddiley-Clark Building, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, UK. justin.presseau@newcastle.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Presseau
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. n.h.chavannes@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Niels H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Chavannes
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. m.scharloo@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Margreet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scharloo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. a.a.kaptein@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Ad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kaptein
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. pim.assendelft@radboudumc.nl.|Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, PO Box 9101, 6500, HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. pim.assendelft@radboudumc.nl.
authors.forename: Willem J J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Assendelft
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300, RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. m.r.crone@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Mathilde R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Crone
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006285:Health Planning / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*