Clinician attitudes toward referring patients to pharmacists for tobacco cessation services.

Background: The role of pharmacists in tobacco cessation has grown substantially in recent years, now including the ability to prescribe medications in many states. Although pharmacists can fill a gap in care by helping patients quit, other clinicians' perceptions regarding referring patients to pharmacists for these services have not been described.

Objective: To characterize clinicians' current referral patterns to pharmacists for tobacco cessation services, intention to refer in the future, and perceived barriers to and facilitators of referrals.