Smokers with respiratory disease are not getting enough advice about smoking cessation, research shows.
A study of 50 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has found that, although most patients were advised to stop smoking, the health benefits of quitting were only explained to two-thirds of patients. In addition, nicotine replacement therapy was mentioned to 24 per cent of patients and 3 per cent were given leaflets about quitting.
The results were presented at the British Thoracic Society’s winter meeting in London on December 14. One of the study’s authors commented at the meeting: "Our research has clearly shown that health care professionals are simply not giving patients the advice and help they need to stop smoking. In many respiratory diseases, especially COPD, smoking cessation is the most immediate and effective way of slowing the progression of the disease. Advice from health care professionals is, therefore, a crucial part of treatment for those patients and should not be forgotten."
Other research also presented at the BTS meeting reinforced the role that health care professionals play in helping smokers quit. A study conducted by the National Asthma and Respiratory Training Centre showed that health care professionals could be effective in helping smokers quit but only once the smoker had committed themself to the task.

Artwork from Quit’s "countdown to quitting"campaign, sponsored by Glaxo Wellcome