These patients are under a lot of stress as it is. We talk with them about what they are thinking about smoking, their thoughts about quitting and their other concerns. T he researchers will assess the smoking status of patients at one, three and six months after recruitment for the study. Smoking abstinence will be considered seven or more consecutive days without smoking. Bock is conducting several projects designed to find the teachable moment to help smokers kick the habit.
Studies show that the more intensive the treatment, the higher the quit rates.
In this study, we've added the patch, the individual counseling and follow-up calls. This is not an overly burdensome intervention. We want to see how much we can reasonably deliver in this setting and still make a significant difference. She recently applied for NIH funding to conduct a similar intervention for smokers admitted to the emergency department with respiratory problems. We're trying to find which moments are really teachable and who is truly teachable.