Predictors of physicians' smoking cessation advice

Article Abstract:

Physicians have been encouraged by several health organizations to urge their patients to stop smoking, but some research evidence indicates that fewer than half the patients studied were advised to quit smoking by their doctors. To learn more concerning physicians' advice to stop smoking, a study was carried out using data from the Stanford (California) Five-City Project, a community health program. Information was collected by self-administered questionnaire from 2,710 smokers over five study periods: 1979-80, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1985-86, and 1989-90. During the 11-year period, improvement was seen in the likelihood that respondents would receive smoking cessation advice; overall, 48.8 percent said they had been advised by their physicians to stop smoking or cut down the number of cigarettes they smoked. Such advice was more likely to be given to respondents who smoked more cigarettes per day, those surveyed later in the study, women, those with more office visits annually, non-Hispanic whites (compared with Hispanics) and older respondents. Fewer than 5 percent of the 1,672 former smokers surveyed said that their physicians had helped them stop smoking. The findings are discussed, with considerable emphasis on the almost five-fold increase in the proportion of older subjects who received smoking cessation advice from physicians compared with younger subjects. It is likely that physicians' advice to patients does make a difference, and resources are now available to help physicians with this task. Cessation counseling by physicians should become a routine part of medical care for patients who smoke. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Methods, Evaluation, Smoking cessation programs, Smoking cessation, Patient education

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The cost-effectiveness of counseling smokers to quit

Article Abstract:

Smoking is considered to be the most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. However, a survey of patients indicates that physicians do not advise their patients to quit cigarette smoking. The cost-effectiveness of counseling smokers to quit was evaluated. The results indicate that brief counseling by a doctor during a routine office visit saves men $705 to $988 per year of life saved and saves women $1205 to $2058. Similar savings were noted for follow-up visits involving counseling to stop smoking. A physician's advice to quit smoking is at least as cost-effective as several other preventive health practices and should be included as part of a routine examination of patients who smoke cigarettes.

Economic aspects, Finance, Prevention, Preventive health services, Preventive medicine, Tobacco habit, Cost (Economics), Costs (Economics), Rehabilitation counseling

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Physician health and patient care

Article Abstract:

The impact of the clinical life of physicians on their personal lives is discussed. It is also found that they tend to have a higher life expectancy than the general public.

United States, Management dynamics, Offices & clinics of medical doctors, Physicians & Surgeons, Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists), Health aspects, Comparative analysis, Women physicians, Patient care

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