Evaluation of a pharmacist‐led smoking cessation service in a pulmonary clinic

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionStudies have demonstrated the positive effect that pharmacist‐led smoking cessation services have on smoking cessation rates, but data regarding pharmacists' impact on smoking cessation in a pulmonary clinic are lacking.ObjectivesTo evaluate the effect of pharmacist‐led smoking cessation visits compared with routine smoking cessation counseling performed by other pulmonary practitioners on smoking cessation rates and outcomes in a population with significant pulmonary disease.MethodsThis was a single center, retrospective, observational cohort study comparing patients who were solely counseled on smoking cessation by a practitioner during their pulmonary clinic appointment to patients who received smoking cessation services from a pharmacist. The primary outcome was a comparison of the percentage of patients who self‐reported cessation at 1, 6, and at 12 months from their initial visit between both cohorts. Other outcomes included the rate of relapse, rate of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, and time spent counseling patients. Continuous variables were analyzed with an independent samples t‐test or Mann–Whitney U‐test as appropriate. Pearson's chi‐square or Fisher's exact test was used to analyze categorical data.ResultsIn total, 149 patients counseled by a pharmacist met the inclusion criteria for the study. A matched cohort of 88 practitioner‐managed patients was used for comparison. Patients managed by the pharmacist achieved higher cessation rates at 1 and 6 months compared with those managed by practitioners, though results were not statistically significant. Patients managed by the pharmacist had significantly higher quit rates at 12 months compared with those managed by practitioners, with 21 patients (14.1%) quitting in the pharmacist‐managed group versus 5 patients (5.7%) in the practitioner‐managed group (p = 0.045).ConclusionPatients with significant pulmonary disease had higher rates of smoking cessation at 12 months when managed by a pharmacist compared with routine counseling provided during practitioner‐led visits.