ABSTRACT
From August to December 2001 antinicotine program was performed in the Pulmonary Department of the Medical University of Lublin in order to achieve smoking cessation of hospitalized patients, their families and other people coming to the ambulatory during the "open door" days. The usefulness of the smoker's registration in a specialist ambulatory and effectiveness of specialist advice was analyzed. Three hundred ninety persons were examined and given advice. One hundred thirty-four patients (34.4%) were included in the study during hospitalization, 256 (65.5%) during open door action and from patients' families. Fifty-eight (14.9%) persons had Zyban prescribed, 23 (5.9%) nicotine replacement medications. 183 persons came for control visit (46.9%). One hundred and one subjects resist nonsmoking within the month after first visit. In all of them CO concentration in the expired air was normal. This made patients' declaration more objective. Consciousness of tobacco smoking harmfulness and activities taken to quit smoking seem to rise among the Lublin region population. Accessibility of spirometric tests in the screening diagnosis of COPD, one of the main tobacco-related diseases, rises as well. A specialist plays the main role in motivating the patient to smoking cessation. He shows the patient benefits of such an activity during diagnostic and therapeutic process, keeps essential control and supports psychologically. The family doctor has to play a similar role. There is considerable relative effectiveness of short-term antinicotine treatment. Hospitalization favors resisting smoking, especially when the hospital is a tobacco smoke free zone.
