Helping quit way to deal with smokers

A comprehensive report on the contentious issue of patients smoking outside Dunedin Hospital is expected to be considered by the Otago District Health Board's hospital advisory committee later this month.

At its December meeting, the board called for management to give high priority to urgently finding a suitable place for patients to smoke if they could not be dissuaded from smoking.

A management call for a ban on smoking on footpaths around the hospital, which was not favoured by board members, was turned down by the Dunedin City Council recently.

Chief executive Brian Rousseau said his view had been that creating a smoking room would be the answer, but clinical feedback was that the smoking addiction should be dealt with on the ward, as any other addiction would be addressed.

Staff were preparing a comprehensive paper on the issue, he told the health board last week.

Board member and non-smoker Dr Malcolm Macpherson said recently he was for 24 hours a Dunedin Hospital patient.

Every interaction he had with a medical professional involved questions about smoking.

A young smoker in the next bed had decided to give up after the constant questioning.

It was an effective way of dealing with it, he said.

Member Peter Barron said this would not overcome the total impropriety of people, who were not having treatment for the addiction, smoking at hospital entrances in poor weather.

It was a question of humanity, he said.

Board member Richard Thomson said he hoped the key words in the December resolution would not be ignored in any recommendation from staff.

All hospitals are expected to by July reach a target of providing 80% of patients with advice and help to quit smoking.

elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz