Health
It takes more than advice to stop smoking
■ An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.
Quick View. Posted Nov. 26, 2007
A report says steering patients toward smoking cessation programs more could save lives.
Advising patients to stop smoking and providing help to quit can produce valuable health benefits. Yet utilization rates for smoking-cessation services remain low. A recent report by the Partnership for Prevention estimated that 42,000 additional lives would be saved each year if 90% of smokers in the U.S. who are advised by a health care professional to quit also were offered help.
Source: "Preventive Care: A National Profile on Use, Disparities, and Health Benefits," Partnership for Prevention, August (link)