Guidelines for Conducting a Hospital-Based Smoker's Consult Service

Abstract

Thirty percent of all hospital admissions are smokers. Hospitals are quickly becoming smoke-free facilities. Individuals hospitalized for medical ailments associated with smoking might have increased motivation to quit in a smoke-free hospital. This article outlines a method to conduct a smoker's consult service. There are four treatment intervention phases: (1) consultation; (2) detoxification; (3) cessation; and (4) recovery-follow-up. The entire consultation and intervention will take approximately 2 hours. The organized smoker's consult service is a necessary component to a successful hospital-based intervention. Eliminating tobacco addiction with hospitalized patients is a movement toward the goal of a smoke-free society.