Doctors Controlling Tobacco

Here is an exerpt from a recent article at "The Heart.org". It tells of how physicians should be on the front lines of tobacco control, effectively forcing change from within - both from a political and cultural standpoint. It is an interesting read. Click over to The Heart for the entire article.

It's no coincidence that the small South American country of Uruguay had a physician as president when it began implementing some of the strongest tobacco-control policies in the world five years ago. Dr Tabaré Vásquez, an oncologist, became president there in 2005 and proceeded to turn the nation of just 3.5 million people into a leading example of how to try to curtail cigarette consumption.

He achieved this through methods that are widely acknowledged to work by those advocating for global tobacco control: banning smoking in public places; increasing taxation on and subsequently the price of cigarettes; banning advertising, sponsorship, and promotion by tobacco companies; restricting the use of misleading words on cigarette packs; and making smoking-cessation programs and products widely available.

But the tobacco industry fought back, with Phillip Morris bringing an international lawsuit against the government there, "not because Uruguay is an important market but because its policies could spread over the world," explained Dr Walter Reyes Caorsi (Casa de Galicia Hospital, Montevideo, Uruguay) during a session on global perspectives on tobacco control at the recent American Heart Association (AHA) 2011 Scientific Sessions. Although Vásquez is no longer president of Uruguay, his successor, José Mujica, says he plans to continue the strong tobacco-control policies established by his predecessor.

Next in line to face the wrath of this industry—and a widely expected lawsuit—is likely the Australian government, which is hoping to enact, by the end of this month, a law that stipulates that cigarettes can be sold only in plain packaging.

Do Healthcare Workers Still Smoke?

Ah, the question we are all thinking, but not wanting to ask. I used to work at a county hospital, in the ICU. I remember being shocked when I heard that one of the heart surgeons smoked. I was even more amazed when my coworker told me that he had often smoked cigarettes out at the smoker's barrel with the surgeon. From that point on, all I could think about was a surgeon leaving his patient in the O.R. to get a quick drag, before returning to fix those arteries.

But that was over 20 years ago. Surely by now, most healthcare workers and doctors don't smoke anymore, right? Well, it just so happens that a new article in Nicotine and Tobacco Research asked that very question in 2006-2007. They broke down smokers by healthcare occupation: physicians, RN's, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and even dentists took part in the survey.

So any guesses on who had the highest prevalency of smoking? I'll breakdown the list from lowest to highest.

2.31%   Physicians
3.01%   Dentists
3.25%   Pharmacists
10.73% RN's
19.28% Respiratory Therapists (ouch!)
20.55% Licensed practical nurses (LPNs)

Not surprisingly then, the groups that had the highest quit rates were physicians, pharmacists, dentists and physician assistants (PA's). But all healthcare workers had higher quit rates than the general public quit rate - except for those LPNs.

The decline in smoking healthcare workers is similar to that seen in the general population as a hold, or in other words, relatively "flat". They find this concerning since the public looks toward the medical community for guidance and counseling on this subject.

As a respiratory therapist myself, I saw first hand many of my coworkers lighting up during their shift. It stills confuses me how they could give a breathing treatment to someone who suffers from COPD symptoms and then go have a cigarette during their lunch break.

Perhaps we'd see more of a decline nationally, if the healthcare communities would make more of an effort to quit themselves - or at least, my fellow RT's and those pesky LPN's.