[Smoking cessation for hospitalized patients: a quasi-experimental study in Quebec].

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a smoking cessation intervention for hospitalized patients, implemented by regular staff and incorporated into their routine care of patients. The intervention was conducted in one experimental hospital and in two control hospitals. One year after discharge, 15% of smokers became non-smokers in the experimental hospital versus 8% in the control hospitals. This difference is not statistically significant (p = 0.08), however a small sample in the control hospitals had an influence on the statistical power. A logistic regression highlights program participation as the only variable predictive of a non-smoker status one year after discharge, considering both types of hospitals (experimental and control). Establishing relevancy of smoking cessation intervention for hospitalized patients is probably no longer needed. But research should be carried on towards finding better ways to convince the staff to intervene, towards establishing relevancy for specialized staff and defining intensity of required interventions before and after hospitalization.