Clinical question
How effective are behavioural and pharmacological smoking cessation interventions in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)?
Bottom line
There was evidence that smokers with COPD who received a combination of high-intensity behavioural support and medication (nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion or varenicline) were more than twice as likely to quit as people who received behavioural support alone. There was no clear evidence that one particular form of behavioural support or medication was better than another.
Caveat
It was unclear whether smokers with COPD are different from smokers without COPD with regard to which treatments work best to help them stop smoking.
Context
Quitting smoking is the most important treatment for smokers with COPD. Treatments to help this group of people stop smoking can be categorised into behavioural support (eg, motivational interviewing) and medication. Although much research exists looking into what works for “healthy” smokers, less is known about what is most effective for smokers with COPD.
Cochrane Systematic Review
van Eerd EAM et al. Smoking cessation for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Reviews, 2016, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD010744.DOI: 10.1002/14651858. CD010744.pub2. This review contains 16 studies involving 13,123 participants.
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