Effectiveness of a Health Professional Training Program for Treatment of Tobacco Addiction.

Effectiveness of a Health Professional Training Program for Treatment of Tobacco Addiction.

Nicotine Tob Res. 2013 Apr 1;
Olano-Espinosa E, Matilla-Pardo B, Minué C, Antón E, Gómez-Gascón T, Ayesta FJ

INTRODUCTION: Advice can have a small but clinically important effect in promoting smoking cessation. Where studied, the rate of delivery has been found to be low. Training has been found to increases this rates, but there is little research on effectiveness in terms of smoking cessation rates. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an health professionals educational program to increase long-term rates of nicotine abstinence in smoking outpatients. METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic cluster-randomized, controlled trial in 35 primary health care centers in Spain. Participants were all 830 health professionals who attended 5,970 smokers during recruiting period. After that we measured continuous abstinence 6 months after the intervention and biochemically validated (saliva cotinine test) 1 year following intervention. Cost-effectiveness was measured in terms of cost per life year gained. RESULTS: After 6 months, the rate of continuous abstinence was significantly higher in the intervention group (2.1% vs. 0.3%, p > .0001) with an odds ratio of 6.5 (95% CI = 3.3-12.7). After 1 year, biochemical validation was performed on 31 of the 67 patients previously registered as abstinent. All of them were abstinent and belonged to intervention group. The incremental cost per life year gained after 6 months was €969. CONCLUSIONS: A primary care training program on smoking cessation based on scientific evidence, behavioral theory, and active learning methods increases long-term continuous nicotine abstinence rate among outpatients in a significant way. These may be relevant for planning training of professionals, clinical assistance, and public health programs. HubMed – addiction

 

The Impact Factor: Just the Facts.

Arch Sex Behav. 2013 Apr 2;
Zucker KJ

HubMed – addiction

 

[Methylphenidate in Brazil: a decade of publications].

Cien Saude Colet. 2013 Mar; 18(3): 803-16
Itaborahy C, Ortega F

Methylphenidate is frequently associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), though this psychostimulant has been on the market in Switzerland, Germany and the US since the 1950s. After its association with ADHD, Ritalin has become the world’s most widely used psychostimulant. The scope of this article is to present the results of an analysis of publications concerning the use of Methylphenidate in Brazil over a decade. It seeks to understand how the information is presented or omitted in the different printed materials. For the analysis, the most important Brazilian psychiatric journals as well as major Brazilian newspapers and magazines for the general public for the 1998-2008 period were consulted. One important point that resulted from analysis of the empirical material was the participation of pharmaceutical laboratories in the funding of research groups on ADHD. The findings reveal several controversial issues in the publications, such as the combination of drugs and psychotherapy, as well as issues of addiction and over-prescription. HubMed – addiction