Two-thirds of people who smoke want to shed their cigarette use, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2020 report on smoking cessation. But only one in five are considering quitting within the next 30 days.
Even so, internal medicine physicians can still reach that larger cadre of potential quitters, said Frank Leone, MD, MS, FACP, who directs the Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Studies have shown that early intervention with FDA-approved treatments—offering them before patients are willing to set a quit date—can boost the odds of eventual cessation success, he said.
“That idea is of critical importance in the clinic,” Dr. Leone said. “Mrs. Smith will never be committed to quitting. In the same sentence she will say, ‘I am desperate to stop smoking,’ and ‘I don’t want to stop smoking.’ That’s the nature of this beast. So, if we’re waiting for her to say, ‘Yes, do something. I’m ready,’ we’ll wait forever.”