Primärversorgungsbasierte Behandlung von COPD und Raucherentwöhnung

Background: Smoking cigarettes represents one of the most prevalent human habits found in modern society and is, due to its toxicity, one of the leading preventable causes for premature deaths and the most aggressive contributor to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although the number of smokers in Austria has decreased in recent years, the overall prevalence still remains high. Smoking cessation represents the most critical therapeutic intervention when it comes to COPD treatment, as it not only decelerates the progression of the disease but also reduces exacerbations and hospitalization rates. Because of frequent, trust-based, patient contact, a primary care setting appears to be particularly effective for monitoring patients suffering from COPD and for initiating tobacco cessation by providing pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of different pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical smoking cessation interventions routinely used within a primary care setting.