Physician versus the smoking habit of the patient

Objective. This study has aimed to investigate the bases, conditions and the characteristics of the counselling approach of physicians serving in diverse branches of medicine in our hospital. Methods. Volunteering physicians working in our hospital were given a questionnaire designed to investigate their approach in counselling against cigarette smoking habits of patients arriving at the emergency services, the polyclinics and the specialized clinics. The relationships between the answers given to the questions asked and the professional branches or the characteristics of the approach to counselling was analysed statistically. Results. The study enrolled 64 volunteering physicians. There were statistically significant differences in the approaches of the physicians working at the emergency services, polyclinics and the clinics ( p <0.001). The strongest counselling approach was estimated in the specialized clinics and the weakest in the emergecy services. Whereas there were no statistically significant differences in counselling with respect to the branches of medicine at the clinics ( p =0.271) and the emergency services ( p =0.542); the awareness on the subject was found to be higher among the physicians at the pulmonology, thoracic surgery and ear-nose-throat (ENT) polyclinics as determined statistically ( p =0.013). Conclusions. To counsel consulting patients against this habit is therefore a fundamental duty of the physician. The study has shown that not all physicians are equally aware of and informed on the necessity of this counselling duty.