| "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Smokers who require admission to the hospital, regardless of the reason, may be receptive to smoking cessation efforts and, with the right intervention, can and often do succeed in kicking the habit, a review of published reports indicates. " "Smokers are at increased risk for many health problems including cancer, heart disease, and lung disease and as a result often end up in the hospital. A hospital stay represents an ideal "teachable moment" for the would-be quitter, researchers say. " "Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti, director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and her associates reviewed the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs initiated in hospitalized smokers. " "In a total of 33 trials, 14,500 hospitalized men and women smokers received advice to quit smoking or behavioral counseling or both by a research nurse or trained smoking cessation counselor. In-hospital anti-smoking interventions ranged from less than 5 minutes to 60 minutes with or without follow-up support after discharge, usually in the form of telephone calls. " "The results indicate that intensive counseling programs that provide smokers with at least 30 minutes of counseling during the hospital stay, along with supportive calls for at least a month after discharge, increase the odds of quitting by 65 percent after discharge." "In a subgroup of smokers entering the hospital due to heart disease, intensive anti-smoking counseling with follow-up support increased the odds of quitting by 81 percent." "Less intensive programs, particularly
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