Strayer, S.M., Heim, S.W., Rollins, L.K.,…Schorling, J.B. (2013). Improving smoking cessation counseling using a point-of-care health intervention tool (IT): From the Virginia Practice Support and Research Network (VaPSRN). Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 26(2), 116-125.
A novel, evidence-based software program for handheld computers was designed and hypothesized to improve clinicians’ ability to provide patient-tailored smoking cessation counseling at the point of care. The tool was evaluated using a validated before/after survey to measure physician smoking cessation counseling behaviors, knowledge, and comfort/self-efficacy. Participants included 17 physicians from a practice-based research network. After 4 months of use in direct patient care, physicians were more likely to advise patients to stop smoking and reported an increase in use of the “5 As” (ask, advise, assess, assist, arrange). Improved self-efficacy in counseling patients regarding smoking cessation was seen, as was increased comfort in providing follow-up to patients. Use of a handheld computer software tool improved smoking cessation counseling among physicians and shows promise for translating evidence about smoking cessation counseling into practice and educational settings.