Background:
As compared to the general population, smoking rates among people with mental illness are disproportionately high. As a result, people with mental illness experience higher rates of tobacco related disease, such as cancer. Smoke free policies within mental health hospitals can positively impact on patients’ motivation and self-efficacy to address their smoking. However without post discharge support, preadmission smoking behaviours typically resume.
Aim:
This presentation describes a randomized controlled trial aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a multi-modal smoking cessation intervention, initiated within mental health inpatient facilities for all smokers and continued post discharge, on 12 month post-discharge smoking cessation rates.
Methods:
Seven hundred and fifty participants will be recruited from four psychiatric inpatient facilities in the state of New South Wales, Australia. After completing a baseline interview, participants will be randomly allocated to receive ‘Supported Care’, a multimodal smoking cessation intervention; or ‘Normal Care’, existing hospital care only. The ‘Supported Care’ intervention will consist of: a brief motivational interview and a package of self-help material for abstaining from smoking whilst in hospital; and following discharge, 16 weeks of motivational telephone-based counselling, 12 weeks of NRT, and a Quitline referral. Data will be collected by computer assisted telephone interview at one, six and twelve months post discharge. The primary outcomes are abstinence from smoking, and secondary outcomes comprise daily cigarette consumption, nicotine dependence, quit attempts, and readiness to change smoking behaviour.
Conclusions:
If shown to be effective, the study will provide evidence for systemic changes in the provision of smoking cessation care to patients following discharge from psychiatric inpatient facilities.