RESUMO
The authors previously published details of a method to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic message strips in recruiting subjects to a smoking-cessation program. They now report data suggesting that a shorter, more negative message yields better results than a longer, more positive message. The data also show that this approach increases the number of subjects who enroll in a smoking-cessation program and the number of subjects who actually quit smoking.
Assuntos
Comunicação , Seleção de Pacientes , Abandono do Hábito de Fumar , Adulto , Eletrônica , Feminino , Hospitais Universitários , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , MissouriRESUMO
Knowledge of outcome is essential when analyzing effectiveness of educational programs. Although quantitative data can be analyzed more rigorously than other forms of data, quantitation of behavioral processes is often difficult. To promote our smoking-cessation program we designed a method that relies on electronic message strips and a dedicated telephone line capable of providing quantitative outcome information. This approach appears quite versatile and shows that the electronic message strip is a surprisingly ineffective method of enlisting subjects into a smoking-cessation program in our hospital.
