Survey: Communication Gap Between Doctors, Smokers

( BW)(PFIZER) Global Surveys Reveal a Serious Communication Gap Between Doctors and Smokers

Most doctors and smokers agree that quitting smoking is the best way to improve health Smokers say they get advice on how to quit smoking half as often as doctors say they provide it

Health Editors

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2007--There is a significant communication gap between doctors and their smoking patients, according to combined results from two of the largest international surveys of physicians' and smokers' attitudes to smoking and smoking cessation. Results showed that there are significant differences between doctors' smoking cessation practices and smokers' experiences.

Both doctors and smokers acknowledge the harmful effects of smoking and the importance of quitting. A majority of physicians (69%) believe that smoking is the most harmful activity to affect their patients' long-term health compared with lack of exercise (42%), unhealthy diet (36%), drinking alcohol (30%) and over-eating/obesity (23%). Similarly, most smokers (75%) are concerned about the health risks of smoking and the majority (81%) agree that quitting smoking is the best way to improve their health.

Advice from a healthcare professional, even when brief, is known to increase the success of smokers wanting to quit(1). Despite this, the surveys highlight a vast difference in the number of doctors (41%) who say they discuss smoking with their patients at every visit, versus the number of smokers (9%) who say they discuss smoking with their doctor at every visit.

Although 66% of doctors said they explain various methods of quitting to their patients, only half of this total of smokers who have talked to a doctor about smoking (33%) said they received this advice. In addition, although 47% of doctors stated that they develop quit plans for their patients to assist them, only a quarter of this total of smokers who have talked to a doctor about smoking (13%) said this was the case.

"These surveys provide valuable insight into the need for improved communication between smokers and doctors," said Hayden McRobbie, Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

"Although smokers know that quitting smoking is the single biggest step to improving their health, these surveys show that patients do not often believe they are receiving the support and advice from their doctor that is vital to successfully quit smoking."

Smoking is a chronic, relapsing medical condition that involves a physical and psychological addiction to nicotine. According to the World Health Organization, less than 5% who attempt to quit unaided remain smoke free at one year.(2) Even with assistance, quitting smoking is still difficult. Indeed, 56% of smokers who have tried to quit said that it is the hardest thing they have ever tried to do.

Both physicians and smokers believe that it is the smoker who is most responsible for quitting and that individual willpower is vitally important to a successful quit attempt. Ninety-two percent of physicians think quitting is primarily up to individual willpower and 91% of smokers agreed. Yet willpower alone is usually an ineffective method to quit, as a large percentage of doctors (who smoke and tried to quit) (58%) and smokers (81%) have failed to quit smoking using willpower alone.

The surveys also highlighted that doctors need better support, resources and improved training to engage patients. Data from the surveys showed that doctors want effective smoking cessation medications (81%) and additional coaching on motivating their patients to quit (78%). Data from the surveys also showed 51% of doctors said they do not have time to help their patients quit, 46% said they had higher priorities and 38% said they were not appropriately trained to help patients quit smoking.

"Although governments are taking steps to curb smoking by initiating smoke-free policies, there needs to be more support from doctors for smokers trying to quit," said Serena Tonstad Department of Preventive Cardiology, Ulleval University Hospital, Norway "We need to call upon doctors around the world to give appropriate advice and support to patients wanting to quit smoking."

About The Surveys: STOP STOP (Smoking: The Opinion of Physicians) survey, sponsored by Pfizer and conducted by Harris Interactive Inc, is one of the largest global surveys examining the attitudes towards smoking and smoking cessation of general practitioners and family physicians - including both smokers and non-smokers. 2,836 physicians from 16 countries were interviewed for the study. Physicians in Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and US participated in the survey. The survey fieldwork was conducted between May and June 2006. STOP was funded by Pfizer.

SUPPORT

SUPPORT (Smoking: Understanding People's Perceptions, Opinions and Reactions to Tobacco), sponsored by Pfizer and conducted by Harris Interactive, is one of the largest global surveys conducted to investigate the attitudes and behaviours of smokers towards smoking and smoking cessation. 3,760 adult smokers aged 25+ from 15 countries were interviewed for the study. Smokers in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, UK and US participated in the survey. The survey fieldwork was conducted between August and September 2006 and Dec and Jan 2007. SUPPORT was funded by Pfizer.

For the SUPPORT survey, in Europe, the figures of age, sex, education, region, number of adults in the household, and number of phone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. In Japan age, sex, education, income, martial status, region, and number of phone lines in the household were used. In South Korea, age, sex, education, income, region, and number of phone lines the household were used. In Canada age, sex, education, income, language, region, race/ethnicity, and number of adults in the household, and number of phone lines in the household were used. In Mexico, age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, state, and number of phone lines the household were used. In the U.S., age, sex, education, income, race/ethnicity, region, number of adults in the household and number of phone lines the household were used . With a pure probability sample of 3,760 for the SUPPORT survey, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 2 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account.

About the Spokespeople

-- Hayden McRobbie, MD, ChB, Research Fellow at the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and a varenicline clinical trial investigator.

-- Serena Tonstad, MD, PhD, Head Physician at the Department of Preventive Cardiology, Ulleval University Hospital, Norway, and a varenicline clinical trial investigator.

References

1. World Health Organization. New survey shows lack of training on tobacco cessation techniques for health-profession students.

31 May 2005: World No Tobacco Day. Available online at URL: http://www.who.int. Last accessed February 20072. WHO European Strategy for Smoking Cessation Policy. Available online at URL: http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E80056.pdf Last accessed February 2007.

ENDS

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