Abstract
Aim:
To implement guidelines recommending smoking cessation support as main treatment for patients with COPD in general practice and to study the effects on cessation rates and stage of motivation to stop.
Method:
Design: three-armed controlled trial in 75 general practices (different size, practice organisation and subject experience), randomly allocated to the experimental conditions (recommendation of bupropion + nicotine replacement therapy or NRT only) and the control condition.
Intervention:
central (4 hours) and small group training and feedback on the practice location (3 × 1 hour) for both GPs and practice nurses. Delivery of a protocol and support material. Among the latter: detection software, based on age ( 35y), prescription (ATC-codes R03 for bronchodilation and anti-inflammatory medication) and/or ICPC-code R95/96 and a patient questionnaire measuring smoking status, nicotine-dependence and motivation to stop. Intervention period:12 months after inclusion of patients. Datagathering premeasurement: questionnaires.
Measures:
SES, smoking status (FTND), motivation to stop (stage of change), quality of life (CRQ), symptoms (MRC- score), depression (BDI-score).
Crossectional analysis:
Chi-squares, T-tests, ANOVA.
Results:
In 73 practices the software detected 11.180 potential patients with COPD. Their GPs considered 53% of these not to be fit to join the program (not having COPD and/or having serious mental or physical comorbidity and/or not in command of the Dutch language and/or receiving treatment from a specialist). Of the remaining patients 91% sent back the smoking status questionnaire; 1566 patients smoked (29,8%) and of these 18 % considered stopping within 6 months, 48 % later on and 34 % not at all. 753 Patients consented to participate in the research. Their characteristics and division over the study groups will be presented.
Conclusions:
The software programme detected large numbers of patients with COPD. More insight into the motivation of the GPs to exclude patients from the programme is wanted. Of the included smoking patients 66% intend to stop smoking and are amenable to support.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jacobs, J., Hilberink, S., Keegstra, J. et al. Smoking cessation counselling for patients with COPD in general practice (SMOCC): screeening method and characteristics of included patients. Prim Care Respir J 11, 62 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/pcrj.2002.42
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pcrj.2002.42