Feasibility of Nurse-Managed Tobacco Use Interventions in Outpatient Surgical Practice

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of developing and implementing a brief nurse-delivered tobacco intervention in an outpatient surgical practice. Design and Methods: Initial formative work used a survey and focus groups to determine knowledge, attitudes, and practices of perioperative nurses working in three outpatient surgical practices regarding smoking use and cessation. Based on this work, a brief intervention was designed and implemented in one of the three practices. The documentation of tobacco use and intervention elements was assessed both immediately and approximately 9 months after implementation. Findings: Formative work identified not only several barriers to implementation and little current activity but also favorable attitudes toward interventions. Implementation improved self-efficacy for intervention delivery and compliance with documentation of intervention elements that was sustained for at least 9 months. Conclusions: Our results suggest that it is feasible for perioperative nurses to play an important role in the delivery of perioperative tobacco interventions. (C) 2019 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.