Jasjit S. Ahluwalia|Cheryl Gibson|Robert Kenney|Dennis Wallace|Ken Resnicow
Smoking status as a vital sign
University of Kansas Medical Center|University of Kansas|University of Kansas Medical Center|Cleveland Clinic Florida|University of Kansas Medical Center|Emory University
objective conducted study determine smoking status stamp would prompt physicians increase number times ask advise assist arrange followup africanamerican patients smokingrelated issues design intervention study posttest assessment physician visit conducted four 1month blocks control period first 2 weeks month following 2 weeks served intervention period setting adult walkin clinic large innercity hospital participants consecutively enrolled study 2595 africanamerican patients 1229 intervention 1366 control subjects seen housestaff physician interventions smoking status stamp placed clinic charts intervention period main results fortyfive housestaff rotated clinic 1month blocks univariate analyses patients significantly likely asked physicians smoke cigarettes intervention compared control period 784 versus 456 odds ratio 428 95 confidence interval ci 358 510 patients also likely told physician quit 399 versus 269 181 95 ci 136 240 followup arranged 123 versus 62 216 95 ci 130 338 conclusions stamp significant effect increasing rates asking cigarette smoking telling patients quit arranging followup smoking cessation however stamp improve low rate physicians offered patients specific advice quit setting quit date