Surgeons Help Patients Quit Smoking Before Surgery – AHC Media

Read article - Quotes Philip Goodney, associate professor of surgery and of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, who recently conducted a pilot study of vascular surgery patients and found that patients facing surgery were more likely to quit smoking when their physician offered the right kind of assistance. "We wanted one approach that would be expedient and work in every setting and every patient," says Goodney. "What we found was the opposite. Patients wanted to customize a smoking cessation program to fit their own needs. They would say, 'I have been smoking a long time and have health problems. I need something to help me individually.' Patients know a lot about their own challenges."