Preferences for Follow-Up Procedures among Patients Lost to Follow-Up after Smoking Cessation Intervention among Therapists—An Interview Study

Sanne Wärjerstam (), Camilla Dew-Hattens, Mette Rasmussen, Berit Lilienthal Heitmann, Rie Raffing and Hanne Tønnesen
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Sanne Wärjerstam: WHO Collaborating Centre, Clinical Health Promotion Centre, Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Camilla Dew-Hattens: WHO Collaborating Centre, Clinical Health Promotion Centre, Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Mette Rasmussen: WHO Collaborating Centre, Clinical Health Promotion Centre, Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Berit Lilienthal Heitmann: WHO Collaborating Centre, Clinical Health Promotion Centre, Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Rie Raffing: WHO Collaborating Centre, Clinical Health Promotion Centre, Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Hanne Tønnesen: WHO Collaborating Centre, Clinical Health Promotion Centre, Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute, Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2400 Copenhagen, Denmark

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: Achieving high follow-up rates after smoking cessation interventions (SCIs) is a general challenge. The aim of this study was to identify preferences among patients and therapists for improving follow-up rates and to assess smoking status at 6 months among patients lost to follow-up. From the Danish STOPbase for Tobacco and Nicotine, which collects data on SCI across health care, 20 representative patients lost to follow-up by routine procedures were identified together with 11 therapists. All participated in individual semi-structured phone interviews, which for patients also included 6-month smoking status. Deductive and inductive analyses were performed. Four themes emerged from the analyses with several subthemes, all regarding contacts. Both patients and therapists preferred to intensify the follow-up process by boosting it with additional attempts and using voice messages, e-mail and/or SMS, calling at specified times of the day and avoiding calls from unknown numbers. In addition, some patients mentioned that they were busy or were not carrying their mobile devices at the time of a call as a barrier. Some therapists mentioned that barriers could include an expectation of relapse, but also a poor mental state, the time of day and patient fear of public systems. Among the patients originally lost to follow-up, 35% (95% CI 16%–59%) experienced continuous smoking cessation for 6 months, and the overall national rate was 22% (21.6–23.3%). In conclusion, both patients and therapists preferred intensified follow-up. The 6-month smoking status for patients lost to follow-up seemed to be similar to that of the routinely followed-up patients. These findings will be examined experimentally in a larger study.

Keywords: smoking cessation intervention; follow-up rate; loss to follow-up; patient preferences; therapist preferences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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