Smoking cessation advice: Swiss physicians lack training

Objectives: To assess the use and appropriateness of medical advice for smoking cessation provided by registrars in a General Medicine Outpatient Department to an unselected patient population in Switzerland. Methods: A prospective observational study in which 314 consecutive outpatients were contacted by phone within 24 h after their consultation. Questions and information concerning smoking asked and/or provided by the registrar to patients were collected. Results: Eleven registrars (mean age 34 years (range 29–40), 54% females, mean of 5 years (range 3.5–6 years) postgraduate medical training) worked in the Basel University Hospital Medical Outpatient Department during the study period from 01.01.2006 to 31.03.2006. In total 314 participants (mean 48 years, age range 16–71 years, 50% females) completed the study. Registrars queried 81% of the patients about smoking, but inquired about smoking duration only in 44% of the patients. Twenty-eight percent of the patients received information about the risks related to smoking, whereas cessation was discussed only with 10% and offered to 9% of the patients. Conclusion: Though most junior physicians in the survey asked about smoking, they failed to appropriately address tobacco-related health issues and offer cessation advice in the majority of cases. Extended regular training for physicians on smoking-related issues will be necessary in order to improve counselling of smokers and meet the global tobacco challenge.