Imre Vadász Dr.

The methodology on he subject suggest the organization of supporting actions on two levels within medical care – primary care and specialized services - For the first time in Hungary, pulmonologists voluntarily started a coordinated supporting program for those who wanted to quit smoking in 1994. More and more dispensary activities joined to this program, which were coordinated and managed by the National Institution for Health Development ’Smoking or Health’ Program. The actions are the following: the training of the doctors and medical staff in the program, supporting the program with the methodology, monitoring of activities, supplying documentation and informative brochures.

There are two specialties of the program. The first is the comprehensive protocol for healthier workplaces (personal trainings, practical advising and supporting in solving problems that arouse because of putting down the cigarette, pharmacotherapy for avoiding signs of nicotine hunger, seven programmed visits during the 3 months of active training, central evaluation after the 9 months of monitoring, monitoring of abstinence by measuring the CO concentration of the exhaled air). The second is the annual monitoring (according to this, 45-50% of the participants of the program do not smoke after the active training and 25-30% after the monitoring part; we consider them quitters). The efficiency of the program is similar to other foreign programs of this kind.

The Public Health Program assigned the dispensaries as places for professional assistance for those who want to quit smoking. This way, a new task was built upon the existing network, and the new service became reachable throughout the whole country.

The National Korányi Institute for TBC and Pulmonology started an accredited training. It was reachable in 140 dispensaries in 2006. In order for more and more smokers to be able to get into the program, the following tasks have to be solved: the comprehensive and constant informing of smokers and primary care workers about this possibility; showing and strengthening motivation in smokers for quitting with a strong, constant, professional media campaign; the possibly performance based compensation of experts in the program; subsidizing the prices of the products in the program in a way that motivates the successful completing of the program.

NATIONAL INSTITUTION FOR HEATH DEVELOPMENT is helping in forming healthier workplaces by developing and propagating the methodology for the training. By calling 06 40 200 493 the public can get information about the consulting hours and helping advice anywhere in the country on local telephone tariffs.