Tobacco Cessation Strategies among Infectious Disease Specialists who Treat People with HIV in Buenos Aires
Keywords:
HIV, Smoking, Tobacco cessation, Cardiovascular riskAbstract
INTRODUCTION: The efficacy of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (TARAA) has transformed HIV/AIDS into a chronic disease. As a consequence, it is necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, particularly smoking. OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of smoking cessation advice provided by infectious disease specialists to patients with HIV in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed on infectious disease specialists who treat HIV-infected patients in private, public and university hospitals. RESULTS: 128 physicians answered the survey (response rate: 75%). 90% of them recommended their patients to stop smoking, 17% encouraged patients to set a stop date, 23% gave brief advice, 35% prescribed some drugs, 8% gave brief advice and prescribed drugs at the same time, 8% suggested certain web sites, 5% advised to use quit-smoking phone lines and 100% recommended cognitive-behavioral treatments. Only 40% considered that tobacco addiction should be treated by infectious disease specialists, while 92% said that the patients should be referred to a specialist on smoking cessation. The main barriers to treat the addiction were inadequate training and insufficient time. CONCLUSIONS: There is an inadequate training: – although physicians encourage patients to stop smoking, they make insufficient use of recommended techniques
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