Abstract
Introduction: Smoking is a leading cause of death worldwide. In the UK smoking cost the NHS ~£2.6billion/yr1.Although striking progress has been made with NHS Stop smoking services (SSS) and prevalence has dropped to 14.7%, potentially targeting a higher risk cohort in secondary care may be the way forward.58.4% of current adult smokers want to quit, but ~40% of all patients who see a health care professionals (HCP) are not advised to quit2.Tobacco cessation often requires repeated interventions and multiple attempts and it is paramount all HCP identify and document smoking status of every patient. Every encounter with a HCP is an invaluable opportunity to ask,advise and assist (3As) on smoking cessation. The use of 3As is an effective and efficient tool that is still underutilised
Aim: Ascertain clinicians' use of 3As during outpatient clinic consultations in 2019 and compare use from the 2011 survey.
Method: Convenience sampling survey within the outpatients department across 15 days
Results:
Conclusion: In any patient-doctor interaction, enquiry into smoking status and facilitating cessation is fundamental good practice. Results highlight that despite improvement in identifying smokers,only a fraction were offered assistance(22%).
Thus, does the focus of SSS need to be more integrative across the healthcare system or do we accept that we have attained practical and realistic goals/targets and accept that this is as good as it gets?
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2020; 56: Suppl. 64, 3043.
This abstract was presented at the 2020 ERS International Congress, in session “Respiratory viruses in the "pre COVID-19" era”.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2020
