Abstract / Summary
Introduction: Tobacco smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable pulmonary disease and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality.Although smoking cessation has been shown to improve lung function, reduce hospitalization, and decrease mortality risk, smoking cessation rates continue to be suboptimal.These findings highlight the ongoing need for increased access to and utilization of effective smoking cessation interventions to improve long-term cessation outcomes.The primary outcome of the study was to describe smoking cessation rates among patients receiving pharmacist-led interventions.Secondary outcomes included smoking cessation rates comparing individuals who used pharmacotherapy versus those who did not, as well as changes in cigarettes smoked per day and adherence to pharmacotherapy among patients who did not achieve abstinence.Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients who received smoking cessation services as part of a performance improvement project.At the adult pulmonary clinic, patients who smoked and were willing to quit were referred by the pulmonologist to the clinical pharmacists for management and counseling.The referral period was August to December 2025, and patients were followed for an additional two months.Pharmacists conducted comprehensive smoking cessation counseling and assessment via the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, selected appropriate pharmacotherapy, or recommended alternative therapy as needed.Follow-up phone calls were also conducted to assess medication adherence, monitor for adverse effects, and provide ongoing support and encouragement throughout the smoking cessation process.A chisquare test was used to test statistical significance, with a p-value threshold of <0.05.Results: A total of 40 patients, predominantly Hispanic or African American, were referred; 25 (62.5%) received either behavioral counseling alone or a combination of behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy.Four (16%) of those patients achieved smoking abstinence, six (24%) patients exhibited an improvement in their smoking behavior, while 14 (56%) patients had no change in smoking status.One (4%) patient experienced worsening tobacco use during the study period.Conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach to smoking cessation involving pulmonologists and clinical pharmacists was associated with positive smoking cessation outcomes.More than one-third of participants receiving behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy achieved smoking cessation or reduced cigarette consumption; however, direct comparison with published cessation rates is limited by differences in study populations, intervention protocols, follow-up duration, and outcome definitions.These findings suggest that multidisciplinary smoking cessation interventions may be feasible in an inner-city clinic without additional resources.