The effect of immediate appointment scheduling on the rate of access to smoking cessation clinics for patients with chronic airway disease: Preliminary results of a randomized trial

<bold>Objective:</bold> Pulmonologists play a vital role in providing evidence-based tobacco cessation methods to patients with chronic airway disease, yet are often neglected. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of immediate appointment scheduling on access to smoking cessation clinics. <bold>Methods:</bold> This multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label study (<ext-link>NCT05764343</ext-link>) was conducted between November 2022 and June 2023 at pulmonary outpatient clinics. The study included adult smokers with a diagnosis of asthma, COPD or bronchiectasis for at least for 6 months. Patients were sequentially allocated in a 1:1 ratio to two study arms: the usual support arm and the immediate support arm. After one week, both patient groups were contacted by phone to asses their quit attempts and whether they had sought assitance from smoking cessation outpatient clinics. <bold>Results:</bold> A total of 397 patients were enrolled in the study, with 199 allocated to the usual support arm and 198 allocated to the intensive support arm. Within the first week, 18.1% of patients in the usual support arm and 77.3% of patients in the immediate support arm sought assistance from the smoking cessation clinic (p<0.001). Immediate appointment scheduling was significantly associated with a 13 fold (OR: 13.46, 95%CI:8.01-22.60) increase in referral rates in multivariate logistic regression model. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our findings highlight the importance of promptly and effectively implementing the final phase of the 5A approach (Arrangement) in supporting smoking cessation among patients with chronic airway diseases.