Evaluation of the smoking ban application at the emergency service of the Fundación Alcorcón Hospital

Abstract

The law for the prevention of tobacco dependence came into effect on the first of January of 2006. With the application of this law, smoking is not allowed neither in public nor in private work centers. From May 2005, the Real Decreto 192/1998, that forbids smoking in medical centers, has been applied at the emergency service of the Fundación Alcorcon Hospital.Objectives: Describe and analyze the consequences of the application of the rule on smoking and non-smoking nursing personnel at the emergency service, as well as changes in smoking habits, knowledge of tobacco smoke pollution’s (TSP) effect on health, tobacco effects and arguments between smokers and non-smokers.Material and methods: Cross descriptive study by means of a questionnaire directed to smoker and non-smoker personnel, with different sections for each of these groups. This questionnaire will be previously validated by a group of experts and a pilot exercise at the Fuenfría Hospital. Statistical analysis of the data will be carried out by SPSS software, establishing the frequency of the answers and comparing the obtained results.The results of this study will be usefully applied to evaluate the way of implementing smoking ban at work, detect and correct weak points in order to achieve the best compliance with the rule, and know its influence in the decrease in tobacco consumption and smoking cessation.

Keywords

• Tobacco dependence
• smoking cessation
• tobacco smoke pollution/ Occupational health services/ Nursing/ Passive smoking