Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Medical and surgical SpRs were interviewed to determine what efforts they make to stop patients smoking. METHODS: Telephone interview of 53 SpRs in the Oxford region. RESULTS: The majority regularly asked whether patients smoked, few did anything about it. Surgical SpRs were less likely than medical SpRs to advise patients to stop, discuss smoking-related health problems, discuss the benefits of quitting or advise nicotine replacement therapy. Few SpRs had been trained to counsel smokers and less than half felt that their input helped patients to stop. CONCLUSION: Medical education is lacking in teaching students and junior doctors how to help patients stop smoking.
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