Doctor’s enquiry: an opportunity for promoting smoking cessation—findings from Global Adult Tobacco Surveys in Europe

Abstract

Background

Evidence suggests that advice from motivated physicians to their smoking patients is effective in promoting smoking cessation. Yet, detection rate of smokers is often low and, the proportion of smokers receiving special advice to quit varies. This study aimed to detect how frequently European physicians enquire about their patients' smoking status, and to compare and contrast how (if any) smokers benefit from physicians' enquiry and/or advice about smoking cessation.

Methods

The study was based on secondary analysis of data from six European countries that conducted Global Adult Tobacco Survey, namely, Greece, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Results

Out of Global Adult Tobacco Survey participants who were smoking 12 months preceding the survey and had 'at least one visit to a physician' before the survey, half were asked by their physicians about their smoking status and only 37.7% got a brief advice from their physicians to quit smoking. Remarkably, 25% of current smokers did not get any advice from their physicians to quit even when the smoking status was enquired. The adjusted odds ratio was found as 1.55 (95% confidence interval=1.29–1.87) for the association between physician's enquiry about smoking status of a patient and his/her attempt to quit smoking.

Conclusion

Even a simple enquiry of the physician about smoking status of a patient could be effective in smoking cessation, yet, enquiry and advice rates are still far below expected. Regardless of the reason for admission, each contact with a patient should be used as an opportunity to combat smoking-related health risks.

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