Effectiveness of Nurse Based Motivational Interviewing for smoking cessation in high risk cardiovascular outpatients: a randomized trial.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of Nurse Based Motivational Interviewing (NBMI) on top of a routine patient based Lifestyle Inventory with Feedback (LIFE) in a cardiovascular outpatient secondary prevention setting.

Methods: All current smokers (n=112), identified in 619 successive patients with cardiovascular disease, were randomized for either care as usual (LIFE), or LIFE plus NBMI (intervention group). Cumulative time investment was recorded.

Results: After 3 months of follow-up, the abstinence rate in the control group was 7%, and another 15% diminished the number of cigarettes, whereas 26% of intervention patients quit smoking (p<0.017) and another 31% diminished smoking. On average, each completed motivational interviewing session took 63.5 min. Per quitter, time investment was 3.8 h and NNT appeared 5.9.

Conclusion: NBMI strategy on top of routinely administrated lifestyle self evaluation with professional feedback, significantly increases smoking cessation in an outpatient secondary prevention setting. Although cost effectiveness needs to be addressed, time investment per quitter in this approach appears low.