Evaluation of Peer Telephone Cessation Counseling for Smokers

• Determine differences in the demographics, health characteristics, and smoking characteristics of those who do and do not participate in the peer telephone counseling. [ Time Frame: 60-day survey ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Determine if there were differences in quit rates between those that do and do not participate in the peer telephone cessation counseling. [ Time Frame: 7-day point prevalence quit rate on 60-day survey ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Evaluate satisfaction with program, barriers and facilitators to implementation and participating in the program, and quality of the counseling [ Time Frame: Interviews with patients, volunteers, and staff; observing volunteer phone calls ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Estimate the costs of implementing the volunteer peer telephone counseling including cost per patient and cost per quit. [ Time Frame: Collect cost of labor data and number of hours spent by the volunteers providing peer telephone counseling. ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Background: As part of the nurse-administered Tobacco Tactics intervention, we developed a novel program to train veterans from Voluntary Services to provide peer telephone cessation counseling calls.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the peer telephone cessation counseling that has been implemented and continues to be implemented at the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital as part of the Tobacco Tactics intervention.

Methods: Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, this quasi-experimental study will collect both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the peer telephone cessation counseling component of the Tobacco Tactics intervention. The Reach of the program will be evaluated by determining differences in the demographics, health characteristics, and smoking characteristics of those who do and do not participate in the peer telephone cessation counseling. The Effectiveness of the program will be evaluated by determining if there were differences in quit rates between those that do and do not participate in the peer telephone cessation counseling. The Adoption and Implementation of the program will be evaluated by determining the satisfaction with the counseling, reasons for nonparticipation, the type and quality of counseling actually provided, and barriers and facilitators to implementing the counseling as perceived by staff. The Maintenance of the program will be evaluated by determining the estimated costs of implementing the peer telephone cessation counseling.

Impact: The Tobacco Use/Smoking Cessation goal of the VA Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) is to develop, implement and evaluate cost-effective interventions for increasing access to and use of evidence-based smoking cessation treatment. Telephone counseling has been shown to be efficacious and teaching volunteer veterans to provide this service is an option that is likely to be cost effective. Hence, evaluating the peer cessation telephone counseling program at the Ann Arbor VA will provide valuable information as to whether or not the program is a viable option for wider scale dissemination.