Establishment of a smoking cessation programme in primary and secondary care in Canterbury

AIMS: Smokescreen for the 1990's is a smoking cessation programme devised for use in primary care in Australia. It is based on the 'readiness to change' model where smokers are categorised as being 'ready', 'unsure', or 'not ready' to quit smoking. Those in the 'ready' group are encouraged to set a quit date and offered nicotine replacement therapy. Those in the unsure group receive brief motivational intervention, and those 'not ready' are given simple health advice. The aims of the study were to evaluate the process and outcome of establishing this program in primary and secondary care in Christchurch. METHODS: Process evaluation involved all staff participating in the program. Patient outcomes including quit rates were assessed by interview six months after enrollment. RESULTS: Implementation was successful with 59 general practitioners, 49 practice nurses and 294 hospital staff receiving education in the use of the programme. Nine hundred and seven patients (smokers) were enrolled in the study, 347 from primary care and 560 from Christchurch Hospital. The point prevalence abstinence rate at 6 months was 10.4% for the primary care sample and 17% for the secondary care group, with an overall rate of 14.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The programme was successfully implemented across primary and secondary care with an acceptable quit rate at 6 months.