This study looked at four combinations of prompts and their effects on the uptake of tobacco use treatment. A Cluster Randomized clinical trial across 11 cancer treatment sites in the State of Pennsylvania, USA tested four combinations of approaches: patient only reminders, clinician only reminders, patient and clinician reminders, and usual care with no reminder. The prompts were short messages, delivered through the electronic health record, to remind clinicians and their patients to include tobacco use treatment in their care plans.
The prompts were designed to counteract mental barriers , to uptake of tobacco use treatment. These included concerns about the risks vs benefits of treatments, and potential distraction from medical treatment. In all, 246 clinicians were randomized in 95 clusters involving 2,146 eligible cancer patients who smoked while receiving cancer care.
The clinician prompt yielded a significant rise in uptake rates compared with usual care (35.6% vs. 13.5%). In contrast, patient reminders did not affect uptake rates.
The study suggests that it is effective to remind clinicans to discuss tobacco use therapy with appropriate patients, and that there is a need to find better patient-facing approaches to increase their uptake rates. |
