PubMed1992
OBJECTIVE: To study the feasibility and evaluate the outcome over a years of four methods of combatting tobacco addiction at the primary care level: one directed towards the team's staff and three aimed at patients (counselling of smokers and specific treatment with nicotine chewing-gum and group or individual support). To compare the results of group and individual support. DESIGN: Uncontrolled intervention study. SITE. Primary care. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: 19 members of the Team. 121 smoking patients who attended for consultation. 62 people who requested treatment. INTERVENTIONS: Consensus on the attitude taken to tobacco within the team. Systematic counselling to smokers. Treatment with nicotine chewing-gum and group or individual support. MAIN MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Numbers of people who gave up after a year: among the 12 smokers in the team, 4 (33%); 8 out of the 103 people who received counselling (7.7%) (Cl 2.60-12.94%); zero out of the 20 people who never attended for treatment or left the course after the first interview; zero out of the 20 treated in a group; and 8 out of the 20 treated individually (40%) (Cl 18.53-61.47%, p less than 0.001 regarding the treatment in group). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the effectiveness of three of the methods of intervention at the Primary Care level: intervention within the team itself, systematic counselling to smokers and treatment using nicotine chewing-gum and individual support. Group support must be reserved for staff with a specific training on Tobacco Addiction and the dynamics of group treatment.