The delivery of smoking cessation advice to hospitalised smokers: a two-hospital survey

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death. Hospitalisation is an ideal time to implement cessation interventions. We determined the prevalence of smoking, cessation advice received by in-patients and quit rates in two teaching hospitals in Ireland. We surveyed 1001 in-patients over six-months. Motivation to quit, cigarette dependence, attitudes to quitting and recent quitting history was assessed. Telephone follow-up and carbon monoxide testing at 3-months established post-discharge motivation to quit, smoking behaviours and quit attempts. Smoking prevalence was 23.4%. Only 32% reported that smoking cessation was discussed during admission. At 3-months, 17% of smokers reported smoking cessation. Brief intervention with smoking cessation advice during hospitalisation was associated with higher motivation to quit (OR=2.79, 95% CI 2.12-3.68), and successful quit behaviour (OR=2.02, 95% CI 1.34-3.06). A systematic focus on smoking cessation is needed in hospital settings. Where advice was given, it was associated with enhanced motivation to quit and increased quit rates, suggesting that systematic provision of low-intensity cessation interventions could significantly enhance quit rates in hospitalised smokers