Background: Despite increased risks of postoperative complications among patients who use tobacco, a number of barriers hinder the systematic identification of surgical patients who smoke. The study investigated the accuracy and acceptability of a patient-completed touchscreen computer program, which assessed patient smoking status during attendance at a surgical pre-operative clinic.
Methods: One thousand and four patients participated in the study and completed a touchscreen computer smoking assessment program.
Results: The sensitivity and specificity measures of the computerized assessment were 93% and 95% respectively. Patients, and clinic receptionists, nurses and anaesthetists found the touchscreen computer-based assessment acceptable.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that computerized assessment of smoking status is an accurate and acceptable way to identify tobacco users in a pre-operative clinic setting.