The purpose of this proposed study is to determine whether smoking cessation interventions provided to hospitalized patients by nurses can enhance smoking cessation behaviors during hospitalization and transfer to the home environment post-hospitalization. In addition, this study will assess for the daily presence of nicotine withdrawal of hospitalized subjects. The management of patient withdrawal symptoms and the unfamiliar environment requiring abstinence from smoking provides the potential to encourage hospitalized smoking patients to quit their nicotine addiction. There is limited evidence that smoking intervention for the hospitalized patient can be accomplished. The crucial hurdle is the transfer of these new preventive behaviors to the home environment where smoking cues are well entrenched. The recruitment of subjects is anticipated to occur at university afflicted hospitals during the event of hospitalization for these subjects. These adult subjects will be randomly assigned to either a usual care or special intervention group. Baseline measurements and initial intervention will occur during the hospitalized period. Follow-up will occur shortly after discharge from the hospital and continue for at least a 3 month window. Although this project will require further development during the proposed training program, this research has the potential of providing a model for the promotion of the health behavior change of hospitalized adult smokers and the required intervention for hospital and home cessation.
