The decision to quit smoking is one that can take time and commitment to achieve. One resource for achieving a quit-smoking plan can be a hospital smoking cessation program. This program can be helpful when inpatients who smoke are seeking to take the first steps toward quitting. Participants also benefit from counseling and education received by health specialists.
Significance
Hospital-based smoking cessation programs may focus on intervention for patients who are admitted to the hospital. For example, if a patient experiences a heart attack, a smoking cessation counselor may meet with a patient to explain the benefits of smoking or offer educational resources. Other hospitals may offer a smoking cessation program that allows community members to opt in and participate in regular counseling or support group sessions.
Effects
Smoking cessation interventions while a patient is hospitalized help patients quit more successfully, according to The Heart. Researchers conducted a study of cardiac patients who received anti-smoking counseling and those who did not to determine which group had a higher success rate when quitting. The results were that 54 percent of those who received anti-smoking counseling classified themselves as "nonsmokers" after one year. An estimated 35 percent of those who did not receive counseling said they were nonsmokers.
Expert Insight
A study conducted at Atlanta-based Emory University found that patients treated at a hospital that offered inpatient smoking cessation and cardiac rehabilitation programs were more successful in quitting smoking than patients treated at those that did not, according to Science Daily. One of the study's authors, Dr. Susmita Parashar, said the following of this program: "The findings are important because cardiac rehabilitation and hospital-based smoking cessation programs appear to be under-utilized in current clinical practice and should be potentially considered as a structural measure of health care quality for patients with heart attack."
Features
Features of a hospital-based smoking cessation program differ from hospital to hospital. They may, however, include behavioral therapy, according to Help Guide. This therapy is designed to help patients identify situations that could lead them to smoke. Other features can include bedside counseling, educational materials and post-discharge follow-up phone calls designed to encourage others to refrain from smoking, according to a study published by Rigotti et. al. that appeared in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" that was posted on PubMed.gov.
Benefits
Successfully quitting smoking via a hospital smoking cessation program offers potentially life-saving benefits. They include a reduced risk of developing cancer, such as lung cancer, and improved lung function and reduced risk of developing coronary heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Male smokers who quit between the ages of 35 to 39 increase their life expectancy by five years while females increase their life expectancy by three years.
References
- Rigotti NA, Arnsten JH, McKool KM, Wood-Reid KM, Pasternak RC, Singer DE. Archives of Internal Medicine. 1997 Dec 8-22. "Efficacy of a Smoking Cessation Program for Hospital Patients."
- The Heart: Smoking Cessation Program Can Improve Quit Rate
- Science Daily: Hospital-Based Smoking Cessation Program After Heart Attack Adds to Success
- Help Guide: How to Quit Smoking
