Introducing a new stop smoking service in an acute UK hospital: A qualitative study to evaluate service user experience

Purpose: Smoking is a risk factor for numerous cancers yet many smokers do not become motivated to quit until they are admitted to hospital with a smoking-related illness.The provision of smoking cessation services in hospitals could therefore be helpful to these patients. This study aimed to explore the user experience of one such service in a UK hospital and identify whether the service assisted patients to quit smoking. Method: A qualitative approach was used which incorporated face-to-face structured interviews with 44 patients across 4 clinical specialties in an acute hospital in the UK. Data collection also involved follow-up telephone interviews with nineteen participants approximately 6 weeks later. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Results: Patients with a variety of diagnoses, including cancer, participated in the study and all welcomed the opportunity to access the hospital service. Hospital was seen as an appropriate venue, where it was easier to make a quit attempt and there was ready access to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and a supportive environment. A number of 'pushes' towards, and 'pulls' away from quitting emerged from the data and were demonstrated outwardly by how ready the patient was to quit. Conclusions: The hospital environment provided a prime opportunity to offer stop smoking advice, assessment and treatment to patients. The provision of this service outside of traditional locations broadened opportunities for access particularly when patients were ready to quit. This service therefore made a positive contribution to the stop smoking agenda.