Kansas office-based nurses' evaluation of patient tobacco cessation activities

• Published in: Journal of community health nursing Vol. 21; no. 2; p. 77
• Main Authors: Good, Marjorie J, Frazier, Linda M, Wetta-Hall, Ruth, Ablah, Elizabeth, Molgaard, Craig A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.06.2004
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitude to Health; Clinical Competence - standards; Female; Humans; Kansas; Middle Aged; Motivation; Needs Assessment; Nurse Clinicians - education; Nurse Clinicians - organization & administration; Nurse Clinicians - psychology; Nurse Practitioners - education; Nurse Practitioners - organization & administration; Nurse Practitioners - psychology; Nurse's Role; Nursing Assessment - organization & administration; Nursing Evaluation Research; Nursing Staff - education; Nursing Staff - organization & administration; Nursing Staff - psychology; Office Nursing - organization & administration; Patient Education as Topic - organization & administration; Primary Health Care - organization & administration; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Tobacco Use Cessation - methods; Tobacco Use Cessation - psychology; Kansas
• ISSN: 0737-0016
• DOI: 10.1207/s15327655jchn2102_02

In this study, we examined the tobacco cessation efforts of nurses working in primary care settings. A 43-item questionnaire was mailed to 1,036 office-based nurses located throughout Kansas. With a response rate of 50.1%, 415 questionnaires were available for analysis. Although 89% of respondents encountered patients who smoked on a daily or weekly basis, only 51% reported documenting their patients' tobacco use, and 38% assessed patients' readiness to quit. Two thirds (66%) of nurses believed that tobacco management was part of their role but only 35% provided cessation advice, 23% recommended nicotine replacement therapy, and 14% provided coping techniques. Nurses cited barriers such as perceiving patients as disinterested or unmotivated to quit (65%) and having little time (55%), skills (32%), or knowledge (25%). Most (91%) agreed that they needed additional tobacco control education. Nurses who were advanced registered nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists were more likely to feel confident about their smoking cessation counseling skills compared to nurses with less education (66.7 vs. 31.2%, p =.010). Office-based nurses identified specific barriers that could be addressed through professional education about tobacco management.