Smoking among Patients Admitted to a General Hospital: a missed opportunity for early intervention

摘要

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of smoking within the general hospital population and to explore strategies for early intervention. This is a prospective questionnaire survey and case note review. The data reported in this paper are part of a larger study. The participants were all patients aged 18 and over admitted over a 1 week period in late March 2000 to a large London teaching hospital. The measurements made were demographic data, a lifestyle questionnaire, a smoking questionnaire, a smoking interview and case note review. The findings were as follows. The majority (47%) of the people were categorized as 'ex-smokers'. 30% of people had never smoked and 23% were categorized as 'current smokers'. Significantly fewer smokers were exercising or careful with their diet. Only 60% of patients were screened for smoking by the hospital team. The majority of smokers would like to stop smoking. There were more ex-smokers in the inpatient population than in the general population. These findings suggest that inpatient stay could offer the opportunity for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle as well as more specific early interventions.