Quitting smoking before surgical interventions and its relationship to health literacy

Year 2019, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 244 - 249, 04.03.2019

Seyda Efsun Özgünay , Hakan Demirci , Şermin Eminoğlu Seyhan Dülger , Canan Yılmaz , Derya Karasu , Özlem Şengören Dikiş

https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.418313

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of
health literacy (HL) level and smoking dependence of patients on their
compliance with advice given by the physicians in anesthesia polyclinics on
giving up smoking.

Methods: This prospective study included 165 smokers. HL was
evaluated by The European Health Literacy (HLS-EU). Nicotine dependence was
measured by Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND). Patients were
advised not to smoke and their carbon monoxide levels in expired air were
measured before on the operation day.

Results: The number of patients
smoking on the day of surgery was significantly higher among females (p = 0.001). While the HL was lower, the
FTND scores (p = 0.006), daily
cigarette consumption (p < 0.001)
and years of cigarette smoking (p = 0.002)
were found to be significantly higher. Fewer number of days between the
polyclinic interview and the surgery date were positively correlated with
compliance with the advice to give up smoking (p = 0.011).

Conclusions: Since the number of
patients continuing to smoke cigarettes was high, it was concluded that verbal
advice on giving up smoking is not enough and that other more effective
measures are needed to ensure patient compliance. The reminder of 'quit
smoking' on the day very close to the surgery may help more patients to stop
smoking on that day. 

Keywords

Health literacy, anesthesiologist, smoking, verbal advice, Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence

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