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Smoking care in Australian psychiatric facilities: Healthcare or traditional behaviour management?
Paula Wye, PhD Candidate, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Abstract
Aims:
To determine current smoking policies and practices in
public mental health units in NSW, Australia; determine current smoking care in such units; and investigate what policies/practices might predict assessment of smoking status and provision of smoking care.
Method:
A mailed cross-sectional survey.
Findings:
Of 131 units, 123 completed questionnaires were
returned (94%). Over one third (36%) of respondents reported instances of patients commencing smoking during their inpatient stay, and 39% reported some proportion of smoking patients were provided with cigarettes when their own supply was expended. While 50% of respondents reported all smoking patients to be assessed for smoking status, 70%reported no patients to be assessed for nicotine dependence. Few respondents reported quit advice was always provided to patients who smoke. Respondents who reported their unit sometimes withholds patient s cigarettes to minimize tobacco-related harm had three times the odds of providing comprehensive smoking care than respondents who reported never doing so.
Conclusions:
Inadequate reinforcement of a non-smoking environment and inconsistencies in smoking care procedures are apparent. The lack of associations between the provision of smoking care and unit characteristics suggest mental health services failure to provide smoking care is endemic and not related to particular types of services.
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