Internationale Zeitschrift für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung

Utilization of the Electronic Health Record to Improve Provision of Smoking Cessation Resources for Vascular Surgery Inpatients

Brigitte K Smith, Robert T Adsit, Douglas E Jorenby, Jon S Matsumura and Michael C Fiore

Utilization of the Electronic Health Record to Improve Provision of Smoking Cessation Resources for Vascular Surgery Inpatients

Background and Objectives: Identification of hospitalized patients who smoke has shown significant improvement in recent years, but provision of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment remains a challenge. This study evaluated the utilization of an electronic health record (EHR) to facilitate implementation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for smoking cessation on a vascular surgery inpatient unit.

Methods: A pre- and post-intervention cohort study was conducted over 6 months at a single academic medical center with a comprehensive EHR. All patients admitted to the vascular surgery service and documented as current smokers were included. A vascular surgery discharge order set with an evidence-based smoking cessation module was developed and implemented. The primary outcome was prescription of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) at the time of discharge. The secondary outcome was referral for smoking cessation counselling at the time of discharge.