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Referral Approaches for Tobacco Use

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Steven S. Fu, MD MSCE

Research Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up 2-year intervention period

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial will study whether an opt-out or opt-in approach is more effective in referring smokers to treatment.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for current smokers who have been seen by a nursing assistant on the PACT team at the Manhattan or Brooklyn VA campus within the last year. It's also open to those nurses and administrative staff who smoke. Non-English speakers cannot participate.

What is being tested?

The study is comparing two methods of encouraging smoking cessation: an 'opt-out' where smokers are automatically referred to treatment unless they decline, and an 'opt-in' where smokers must actively choose to enroll in treatment programs.

What are the potential side effects?

Since this trial involves behavioral approaches like staff training rather than medication, there are no direct medical side effects. However, participants may experience stress or discomfort related to changing smoking habits.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ 2-year intervention period

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~2-year intervention period

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 2-year intervention period for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Abstinence at the end of the 2-year intervention period

Proportion of smokers who accept referral to treatment (Quitline or text messaging)

Proportion of smokers who engage in treatment with the Quitline or text messaging service

Secondary study objectives

Cost-effectiveness of the two approaches (opt-out vs opt-in)

Use of smoking cessation medications

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Opt-out tobacco treatmentExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

The investigators will directly change the treatment status quo by implementing a clinical reminder that automatically initiates tobacco treatment referral at the time the reminder is activated.

Group II: Opt-in clinical reminderExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

As the investigators have done previously, the reminder will be self-explanatory, and will walk staff through each step of referral. The reminder will include the following domains: normative advice, referral to treatment, handout

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