NAVY HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES CONCERNING PATIENT TOBACCO USE

This study surveyed 2,287 U.S. Navy health care providers (HCPs) regar ding patient-care practices and attitudes related to tobacco use. Almo st 80% of HCPs reported that they usually asked new patients about tob acco use, Of 11 recommended practices, two-thirds to three-quarters of HCPs engaged in only 4 behaviors with most or all of their tobacco-us ing patients: advise patients to stop, advise pregnant users of health risks to the fetus, inform patients of benefits of quitting, and expl ain dangers of using tobacco, Other recommended cessation strategies w ere not performed regularly (e.g., assist patients in setting quit dat e, develop cessation plan, provide self-help materials, make referrals to cessation programs, prescribe nicotine gum, or arrange follow-up v isits), It is recommended that concerted efforts be made to train all military HCPs (e.g., physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, and ph ysician assistants) to use the National Cancer Institute's ''Four A's' ' approach for patient tobacco cessation, and that strong organization al support to implement these procedures be provided.