If you are quitting, ask them to respect your decision.
For smoking women, teaching them to quit smoking and asking them to ask their partners also to quit may be even more important, since such a way may help in the creation of a supportive environment for the couple to quit simultaneously.
Smokers were also asked who had helped them to quit in the previous year.
Statistical analysis also revealed significant increases across study phases in three individual quit steps (asking patients what would motivate them to quit, giving pamphlets, and discussions about quit dates) and highly significant increases in two steps: discussing quit medications and prescribing quit medications.
For provision of brief advice, clients who reported being 'at risk' as defined by national guidelines [ 53- 56] were asked whether the clinician advised them: to quit smoking or consider using Nicotine Replacement Therapy; to eat more fruit and/or more vegetables; to reduce the amount of alcohol they consume; or to do more physical activity (yes, no, don't know).
Clients identified as being 'at risk' for any risk will be asked whether a clinician advised them to: quit smoking, or advised about Nicotine Replacement Therapy [ 72]; eat more fruit, or vegetables [ 58]; reduce how much alcohol they consume [ 69], and do more physical activity [ 73] (yes, no, don't know).
Prior to the study, as part of a quality improvement initiative to disseminate tobacco use treatment guidelines, the research team worked with all clinics within the ACRN to implement an expanded "vital sign" chart stamp, that prompted providers to ask patients about tobacco use, advise them to quit, assess readiness to quit, offer assistance and arrange follow-up.
Prior to the study, as part of a quality improvement (QI) initiative to disseminate tobacco use treatment guidelines, all CHCs within the ACRN implemented an expanded vital sign chart stamp that prompted providers to ask patients about tobacco use, advise them to quit, assess readiness to quit and offer assistance (4As) (Additional file 1).
Seventy-nine percent stated that they were both routinely asking patients about smoking and counseling them to quit.
