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Labeling smokers’ charts with a “smoker” sticker

Results of a randomized controlled trial among private practitioners

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Abstract

We randomly assigned private practitioners (n=393) to receiving, by mail, a box of “Smoker” stickers and a recommendation to label smokers’ charts with these stickers, or to no intervention. Twenty percent of the physicians reported using the stickers and applying them on 43% of their smoking patients’ charts. The intervention had no impact on physician reports of the proportion of smokers advised to quit smoking, but physicians who reported using the stickers stated that they advised more smokers to quit after the intervention (89%) than before (80%, P=.02). Thus, self-reports by physicians indicated that use of the stickers was associated with an increased proportion of smokers advised to quit. However, overall, the intervention did not modify physicians’ behavior.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIPRET (Center for Information on Smoking Prevention), Geneva, Switzerland

    Jean-Charles Rielle MD

  2. Quality of Care Unit, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

    Thomas V. Perneger MD, PhD

  3. Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Geneva, CMU, Case Postale, CH-1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland

    Jean-François Etter PhD, MPH & Thomas V. Perneger MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Jean-François Etter PhD, MPH
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  2. Jean-Charles Rielle MD
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  3. Thomas V. Perneger MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-François Etter PhD, MPH.

Additional information

This work was supported by the Health Authority of the Canton of Geneva.

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Etter, JF., Rielle, JC. & Perneger, T.V. Labeling smokers’ charts with a “smoker” sticker. J GEN INTERN MED 15, 421–424 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2000.04119.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2000.04119.x

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