Actuaciones de los médicos y asociaciones científicas en el control del hábito tabáquico

Use of Medical Counseling for the Prevention and Control of Smoking in the Municipality of Old Havana

“…For more than 10 years, the American Medical Association has advised physicians to determine the smoking status of their patients and to encourage them to quit smoking, offering them support or information to help achieve this. 4 One of the most important reasons for this strategy is the high proportion of individuals who consult their physicians yearly. In Cuba, no fewer than 85% of smokers seek medical advice on a yearly basis.…”

“…5 Furthermore, most patients who smoke are very receptive to advice about smoking cessation from their physicians such that even a minimal intervention can result in an increase in overall smoking cessation. 4,6,7 The opinion of physicians about their inability to influence smoking cessation constitutes an important barrier impeding the expansion of preventive measures. 8 Many believe that warning patients about problems associated with smoking has no effect on them.…”

“…Between 10% and 25% of smokers succeed in reducing or quitting smoking if their physicians become involved. 4 We set out to describe the use of physician counseling for the prevention and control of smoking in the community, to determine the frequency of physicians asking about smoking status during medical visits as well as their attitudes toward smoking cessation, the frequency with which they recommended smoking cessation, and the frequency of assessing need for assistance, and to determine the self-appraisal of physicians about their ability to motivate patients to quit smoking.…”