Objective: The study objective was to determine through meta-analysis the effects of nursing-delivered smoking-cessation interventions.
Results: Thirty-four studies met inclusion criteria in this updated meta-analysis. Twenty-six studies compared a nursing intervention with a control or usual care group of adults and found interventions of high and low intensity to modestly increase the odds of quitting (1.36, 95% confidence interval 1.22-1.51). The study results demonstrated heterogeneity; using a random effects model did not make a difference. There was evidence that interventions were most effective for hospital inpatients with cardiovascular disease than for patients with other conditions (odds ratio 2.14, confidence interval 1.39-3.31). Interventions in nonhospitalized adults were beneficial as well; no effect was found for additive intervention components. Counseling during health-screening programs or as part of multifactorial secondary preventions programs was found to be the least effective. The challenge will be to incorporate smoking-cessation interventions into evidence-based nursing practice.