Nurses' attitudes concerning the delivery of brief cessation advice to hospitalized smokers

Background. Nurses have a unique opportunity to assist hospitalized smokers with cessation. However, relatively little is known about nurses' attitudes and beliefs toward their role in assisting patients with cessation. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of staff nurses at four hospitals was conducted. Four scales based on constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior were developed for this survey: attitudes toward offering cessation advice, beliefs about the outcome of offering advice, perceived normative beliefs, and perceived ability to offer advice. Other survey items included sociodemographics, employment characteristics (shift, unit worked), and personal smoking status. Results. Of the nurses surveyed, 397 (68%) returned completed questionnaires. Nurses had a relatively positive attitude toward helping patients to quit smoking, 63% believed that hospitalization was an ideal time for patients to try to quit smoking, and 59% believed a nurse had an obligation to advise patients to quit smoking. In the final multiple linear regression model, self-reported delivery of cessation advice was related to attitudes toward offering cessation advice, perceived ability to offer advice, and unit worked. Conclusions. Efforts should be made to educate staff nurses about the efficacy of brief cessation advice and current smoking cessation methods and practices.