Improving the effectiveness of smoking cessation in primary care: lessons learned.

Aims: The 'Smokescreen' smoking cessation programme was introduced in Christchurch in 1995, with an initial study showing six-month, self-reported quit rates of 10% and 17% (with a validated deception rate) in primary and secondary care settings. Substantial modifications were made to try to improve this rate in the primary care setting and the programme has been implemented widely. Our primary aim was to estimate programme utilisation and six-month quit rates for enrolled patients in this general primary care setting.