Most Active Stories Shots - Health Blog Tue January 3, 2012
Making The Best Of A Hospital Stay By Quitting Smoking When
smokers are in the hospital, they typically have to give up
cigarettes for as long as they're there. Most hospitals make
little effort to screen patients for tobacco use or to help them
kick the habit permanently. That's a missed opportunity.
Starting this month, though, hospitals can choose to adopt
tobacco-cessation measures as part of their performance criteria
to meet certification requirements by the Joint Commission, a
nonprofit that accredits health care organizations. The stop-
smoking measures aren't required, but are one of several
activities that hospitals can use to become certified. Hospitals
that choose to go this route will be required to screen all
inpatients who are 18 or older, provide cessation treatment for
smokers while they're hospitalized and follow-up with them
within 30 days of discharge. Tobacco accounts for nearly half a
million deaths each year, and remains the top