For Immediate Release
November 15, 2005
Contact: Jan Morrison
(434) 924-5679

Doctor Kicks Butts with PDA

Dr. Scott Strayer  knows how difficult it can be to stop smoking.  The assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Virginia Health System used to be a smoker himself. With a new grant from the American Cancer Society, Strayer’s goal is to help others quit just like he did.

“The problem is that doctors are ill equipped in this area,” Strayer said. “There’s no curriculum for smoking cessation counseling.”

Strayer hopes to change that. Working with a group of colleagues including a psychologist, an internist and educational specialists, he is applying the basics of Behavioral Change Theory and elements of motivational interviewing to find the most effective appeal in motivating patients to quit smoking.

“When a patient goes to see a doctor, he or she is told to stop smoking,” Strayer said.   “If the patient is ready, the doctor can help, but many physicians don’t have an approach to help them think about quitting if they haven’t before.” Strayer said.  “This can be frustrating for the patient and physicians. We are trying to alleviate this frustration and increase the numbers of patients who manage to quit.”

His three-year study will incorporate the use of a hand-held computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) with software specially designed by Strayer and his colleagues that systematically applies behavioral theories to help a patient quit smoking.   The program, entitled the Education Smoking Mobile Intervention Tool (E-SMOK-IT), provides guidance to a physician on how to encourage a smoker to quit, even if the patient hasn’t considered it yet.  As part of their patient care experience, medical students will assist in the study.

###