Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol. 2002 Jul; 52(7): 302-5.

[Nicotine dependence and motivation for smoking cessation in patients of a cardiologic-pneumologic department]

H�user W, Schaal N, Schiedermaier P, GÃ¶rge G.

Medizinische Klinik I (Gastroenterologie, Hepatologie, Stoffwechsel- und Infektionskrankheiten, Psychosomatik), Klinikum Saarbr�cken gGmbH.

Tobacco cessation interventions are cost effective therapies in the secondary prevention of coronary heart and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases which however are rarely used in Germany. Therefore the frequency and the degree of tobacco addiction, the previous treatment of tobacco abuse and the present motivation for smoking cessation of all patients treated within one month in a department of cardiology/pneumology were assessed. 255 of 264 admitted patients (39 % women, 61 % men, mean age 65 +/- 13 years) were evaluated. 33/255 patients (13 %) were smokers, 110/255 (43 %) were former smokers and 112/255 (44 %) patients never smoked. 25/33 (76 %) of the smoking patients met the criteria of nicotine dependence and 8/33 (24 %) the criteria of nicotine abuse of the DSM-IV. According to the FagerstrÃ¶m-Nicotine-Dependence-Test (FTND) 6/33 (18 %) smokers were low nicotine dependent (FTND 0 - 3 points), 24/33 (73 %) smokers were moderate nicotine dependent (FTND 4 - 7 points) and 3/33 (9 %) smokers were high nicotine dependent (FTND 8 - 10 points). 8/33 patients (24 %) agreed in, 8/33 patients (24 %) were undecisive with regard to and 17/33 (52 %) smokers refused smoking cessation treatment during their hospital stay. There was no difference in the FTND between patients willing to stop smoking and patients which were undecisive or unwilling to stop smoking. 27/33 (82 %) patients were pointed to the existence of a tobacco induced disease by physicians, 14/33 (42 %) had received informations about smoking cessation, 7/33 (21 %) had received nicotine substitution and 3/33 (9 %) other treatments (smoking cessation training, acupuncture) in the past. Motivation for and realization of smoking cessation interventions should be considered as important tasks of the psychosomatic or addiction primary care in private practices and hospitals.