Proactive Outreach for Smoking Treatment

BACKGROUND: The US Public Health Service (USPHS) designated tobacco dependence as a chronic disease. This is especially true for smokers with serious mental illness (SMI) who make more cessation attempts and are less successful sustaining long-term abstinence than the general population. There is a significant health disparity wherein individuals with SMI have a higher tobacco use prevalence and a greater risk for tobacco-related mortality than the general population. Chronic care models suggest chronic disease management requires a multidisciplinary care team to assess tobacco use, administer treatment, support patient self-management, and monitor progress. Proactive telephone outreach to smokers and brief provider interventions are two effective chronic disease management strategies. Community based mental health centers (CMHCs) are a primary treatment access point for many smokers with SMI. However, rates of intervention with smoking by CMHC providers are low. In order to implement the chronic care model for tobacco dependence for CMHCs, comprehensive implementation strategies are needed. OBJECTIVE: to conduct a feasibility pilot trial to adapt an implementation strategy developed by the SAMHSA-funded network of Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTCs) to integrate a proactive, chronic care model of tobacco cessation treatment into CMHCs. AIM: To conduct a pilot trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability and initial effectiveness of the implementation strategy. DESIGN: The investigators will conduct 3 studies. The first study will include qualitative interviews of 29 individuals including patients, providers and leaders. Study 2 will be a pilot test of the study intervention. 25 patients will receive the intervention for 3 months the primary outcome is feasibility and acceptability as measured 3 months post intervention. Study 3 is a pilot hybrid type 2 implementation-effectiveness trial in 3 CMHCs (N=50 patients; 96-130 providers). The investigators will conduct 2 baseline assessments (3 months apart) and outcomes will be assessed at 3, 6, and 12-months post implementation.

Outcomes include feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness of the implementation strategy on tobacco cessation treatment utilization (counseling and medication) and patient effectiveness on tobacco cessation (CO confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence). SIGNIFICANCE: An effective implementation strategy for tobacco cessation treatment in CMHCs, a widespread model of care delivery, would have enormous public health impact.

Inclusion criteria

• daily cigarettes smokers (smoking >25 days/month)
• English speaking
• patient in one of the two community mental health center study sites.

Exclusion criteria

• cognitive impairment
• judged by community mental health center staff as unable to participate in research
• no access to a telephone
• no mailing address.