A low-cost smoking cessation program for hospitalized smokers who are willing to make a quit attempt.
Staying Free is a smoking cessation program for hospitalized smokers who (i) are willing to make a quit attempt during hospitalization; and (ii) do not have a medical history of substance abuse or psychiatric disorders, and are not pregnant, medically unstable, or cognitively disabled.
Participants first receive a one-minute scripted smoking cessation message from their physician, followed by:
- An intensive counseling session provided at bedside by a nurse case-manager specially trained in smoking cessation (approximately 30-60 minutes); and
- Four to seven telephone counseling sessions – each 5-10 minutes long – provided by the nurse at periodic intervals between 2 and 90 days after discharge.
The bedside session includes (i) education on hazards of smoking personalized to the patient’s condition, benefits of quitting, the withdrawal process, and importance of social support; (ii) take-home materials (video, workbook, relaxation tape); and (iii) counseling. The counseling focuses on relapse-prevention – specifically, identifying high-risk situations for smoking relapse and working with the nurse to develop behavioral, cognitive, and social support strategies to remain smoke-free in such situations. The post-discharge phone sessions also focus on relapse prevention. Pharmacotherapy (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy) is provided on an as-needed basis.
The program’s cost is $118-$236 per patient (2019 dollars). The program implementation manual is available here; a summary of effective strategies for program dissemination is available here.