[Smoking Behaviour Among Patients and Staff of a Psychiatric Hospital: Two Independent Surveys in 2007 and 2015]. / Rauchverhalten bei Patienten und Beschäftigten einer psychiatrischen Klinik: zwei unabhängige Stichtagserhebungen im Abstand von 8 Jahren.

OBJECTIVE: In order to evaluate the prevalence and smoking behaviour in a psychiatric hospital two independent surveys in 2007 (t1) and 2015 (t2) were carried out before and after implementing strategies to protect non-smokers and to offer assistance to stop smoking. METHODS: In two cross-sectional surveys all in-patients and staff of the Centre for Psychiatry Ravensburg-Bodensee were interviewed by questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking among patients was very high at both time points with 59 % (t1) and 57 % (t2), respectively. Among staff, the prevalence of smoking was 35 % (t1) and 33 % (t2). In both surveys, patients were more severely nicotine-dependent than staff. 57 % of all smokers wanted to stop smoking. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence and strong nicotine dependence of patients and staff were observed in both surveys in 2007 and 2015, respectively. More rigorous interventions in psychiatric hospitals and the society as a whole seem to be required to decrease the prevalence of smoking among psychiatric patients and staff.