American journal of preventive medicine
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Practice Guideline Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial Guideline
Implementing guidelines for smoking cessation: comparing the efforts of nurses and medical assistants.
It is unclear how different types of intake clinicians (registered nurses [RNs], and less costly licensed practical nurses [LPNs] and medical assistants [MAs]) compare in the performance of smoking-cessation activities recommended in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) smoking-cessation clinical practice guideline. ⋯ Although both MAs and LPNs showed marked improvements in performance in response to the guideline intervention, patients seen by these intake clinicians were less likely to receive guideline-recommended counseling, compared to those patients seen by RNs. Given their important role in the delivery of preventive care, MAs and LPNs should receive proper training in cessation counseling, should have strong physician and administrative support, and should be included in efforts to implement smoking-cessation guidelines in primary care.