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Decreased awareness of current smoking among health care providers of HIV-positive compared to HIV-negative veterans.

Crothers K, Goulet JL, Rodriguez-Barradas MC, Gibert CL, Butt AA, Braithwaite RS, Peck R, Justice AC

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality in HIV-positive patients on combination antiretroviral therapy. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether awareness of smoking differs between HIV and non-HIV providers, and to identify factors associated with failure to recognize current smoking. DESIGN: Observational study. PARTICIPANTS: 801 HIV-positive and 602 HIV-negative patients, 72 HIV and 71 non-HIV providers enrolled in the Veterans Aging Cohort 5 Site Study. MEASUREMENTS: Data sources included patient and provider questionnaires; electronic medical records; and the national administrative VA database. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, and measures of agreement between patient- and provider-reported smoking, and examined factors associated with failure to recognize current smoking using logistic regression. RESULTS: Whereas most providers were correct when they identified a patient as a current smoker (specificity > or = 90%), HIV providers missed current smoking more often (sensitivity 65% for HIV vs. 82% for non-HIV). Kappa scores for current smoking were significantly lower for HIV compared to non-HIV providers (0.55 vs. 0.75, p < .001). In models adjusted for age, gender, race, and other differences, patient HIV status and provider specialty in infectious diseases were independent predictors of a provider's failure to recognize current smoking. Comorbid illnesses, cough/dyspnea, degree of immune competence and HIV viral suppression did not impact recognition of current smoking. Only 39% of HIV providers reported confidence in their ability to influence smoking cessation compared to 62% of non-HIV providers (p = .049). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to increase HIV provider awareness of current smoking and skills to influence smoking cessation are needed. Efforts should also target patient populations with smoking-related comorbid diseases who would especially benefit from smoking cessation.

Published 15 May 2007 in J Gen Intern Med, 22(6): 749-54.
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