| Over 2,500 patients and 45 doctors were involved in the study, which was conducted at a busy inner-city walk-in clinic serving a predominantly African-American population.
The study results, published in the July issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, show that before the stamp, 45% of doctors asked patients if they smoked. But after the addition of the stamp, 78% of doctors asked about smoking status. The stamps also appeared to lead to an increase in the number of patients advised to quit smoking-- 40% after the stamp versus 27% before the stamp -- and increased the number for whom smoking cessation was arranged from 6% to 12%. |
