RESUMO
Smoking is a detrimental addiction contributing to many pathologies including cardiovascular disease and cancer. This retrospective study's aim was to assess the impact that conservative measures, like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and cessation clinic referral, have on smoking cessation on a respiratory ward. The baseline data obtained on admission to the hospital revealed that only 50% of patients were asked about their smoking status. Using a checklist, the health care professionals were encouraged to take a more proactive approach in promoting smoking cessation, resulting in 100% of the patients being asked about their smoking status. Of these, 81.8% agreed to try nicotine replacement therapy and 36.3% agreed to a Hertfordshire Stop Smoking Service referral. In the future, further studies are planned to assess the long-term effectiveness of this intervention in getting patients to stop smoking by following them up at a 3-month interval.