[The influence of smoking habits of Chilean physicians on the use of the structured medical advice about smoking].

Background: Structured medical advice on smoking is the prevention strategy with better cost-effectiveness ratio.

Aim: To evaluate smoking among health care providers affect the application of this preventive strategy.

Material And Methods: We surveyed 235 physicians working in public and private hospitals in different cities over the country, about their smoking habits, their views on smoking as cardiovascular risk factor and the implementation of three key points of the structured medical advice about smoking.

Results: Physicians aged less than 44 years had the lower frequency of smoking and the higher frequency of ex-smokers concentrated among those aged 60 years or more. All surveyed physicians agreed that smoking is a cardiovascular risk factor. However, 21% considered that this risk appears only among those that smoke more than three cigarettes per day. Independent of their smoking habits, 18% of physicians not always ask their patients about smoking, 25% do not warn about the risk of smoking and 22% not always give advice about quitting. This last action is carried out with a significantly lower frequency by smoking physicians.

Conclusions: To improve physician's compliance with their preventive role in clinical practice, it is essential to consider their own smoking habits, and the information and attitudes that they have towards smoking as a cardiovascular risk factor.