Smoking cessation counselling practices among health care providers dealing with cancer patients

Aim To asses smoking cessation counselling practices (SCC) among health care providers dealing with cancer patients. Method A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 300 providers from three hospitals in Jordan. A self-report questionnaire was distributed. Results During the initial visit, the most frequent practices were asking patients if they smoke and advise smokers to quit (50%, 45% respectively). Only 13% of providers reported treating or referring patients for smoking use cessation intervention. During the follow-up visits, the most frequent practice was reinforcing the stopping of tobacco use 39%. Overall, physicians had the highest scores of adherence to applying SCC practices. Besides, over 85% of participants believe that tobacco cessation should be a standard part of cancer interventions and clinicians need more training. Over 80% agreed that barriers of implementing SCC practices include lack of training and resources. Finally, receiving SCC training, more years since completion of the most senior degree, and more time spent with cancer patients predicted a higher score of total SCC practices (P < .05). Conclusion It is essential to provide training, referral facilities, and supportive policies to encourage SCC practices.