Title:	The i-Quit Study: Evaluation of computerised tailored advice to stop smoking in primary care
Principal research question:	To establish the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial of a web-based program to provide tailored smoking cessation advice in primary care. We will explore the following issues: 1. Feasibility of identification and recruitment of eligible subjects from general practices 2. Development of training package for practice nurses to use the Quit software 3. Acceptability and understanding of the overall intervention by health professionals and patients 4. Acceptability, feasibility and costs of delivery of intervention by practice nurses 5. Feasibility of web-based delivery of the intervention and data management 6. Response rates to follow-up questionnaires 7. Estimate of smoking cessation rates associated with the intervention.
Methodology description:	The project will use a web-based version of the QUIT Tailoring Program, a computer-based system for generating individually tailored behavioural feedback designed to encourage and help smokers to quit. The individually tailored feedback, based on determinants of smoking cessation, will be incorporated into a primary care-based smoking cessation intervention comprising brief advice from a practice nurse and prescription for nicotine replacement therapy. Practice nurses will be trained to deliver the existing brief intervention training program conducted by the Cambridge Smoking Cessation Service. This will be followed by individual training on the Quit software in their practices using interactive teaching methods including simulated consultations using the software. Eligible smokers will complete a smoking behaviour questionnaire which will be entered directly into the Quit software during the consultation in general practice and a tailored information sheet given to the smoker as an addition to brief smoking cessation advice. The project will establish the feasibility of recruitment, delivery, acceptability and understanding of the intervention, costs of delivery, compliance, data processing, response rates and validation of smoking assessment. The findings from this study will help inform a future pragmatic controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention in primary care.
Sample group description:	Men and women aged 18 years and over will be recruited through routine consultations in 6 general practices within Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire PCT population. (Practices with accurate records on patients’ smoking status will be recruited so that proactive recruitment can be instigated if necessary. This will include display of posters in the waiting room and writing letters to smokers). We aim to recruit 20 smokers from each general practice (estimated at 120 from 6 practices within South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge City). Eligible subjects will be smokers who smoke daily, want to quit smoking and are willing to attend consultation with practice nurse or a trained health professional for smoking cessation advice. Eligible smokers will be offered an appointment to see the practice nurse and provided with further information about the purpose of the study. They will be asked to complete a Smoking Behaviour Questionnaire prior to their appointment with the practice nurse.
Outcome measure description:	Outcome measures 1 month from first consultation: 1.Participants will complete a short follow-up questionniare. Measures will include self reported quit attempts, recent and current smoking status, length of abstinence, whether participants read, understood and retained the tailored information, and the perceived personal relevance. 2. Self-reported continuous smoking abstinence will be verified by expired air CO concentration consistent with current practice.3. Saliva cotinine measurements. 4. Process, cost and feasibility measures. Analysis: Descriptive analysis will be undertaken to assess quit rates, process and acceptability measures and costs of delivery and of the intervention and recruitment and follow-up rates. 6 month quit rates will be calculated from existing literature, as an estimate of likely effect size to inform decisions to proceed to future trial.
Project organisation
Start date:	1st April 2004
End date:	1st April 2006
Contact person:	Dr Dan Mason
Contact Details:	Primary Care Research Unit Institute of Public Health University Forvie Site, Robinson Way Cambridge Cambs CB2 0SR UK Telephone: (01223) 767147 Fax: 01223 762515 E-mail: dm316@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Funding information
Funding Organisation:	NHS R&D Support Funding
Funding Reference:	2005/06
Funding Amount:	£3,657
Funding Organisation:	Department of Health
Funding Reference:	PHI/03/C1/014
Funding Amount:	£34,865
References and Publications