The current study investigated physicians offering brief advice to quit smoking versus offering assistance to quit to determine the incidence of attempts to stop and quit success in smokers. Thirteen relevant trials were included from the Cochrane reviews of physician advice for smoking cessation, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), varenicline, and bupropion. Compared to no intervention, advice to quit on medical grounds increased the frequency of quit attempts (RR 1.24; 95% CI 1.16-1.33), but not as much as behavioral support for cessation (RR 2.17; 95% CI 1.52-3.11) or offering NRT (RR 1.68; 95% CI 1.48-1.89). In a direct comparison, offering assistance generated more quit attempts than giving advice to quit on medical grounds (RR 1.69, 95% CI 1.24-2.31 for behavioural support; RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.25-1.54 for offering medication). There was evidence that medical advice increased the success of quit attempts and inconclusive evidence that offering assistance increased their success. Therefore, physicians may be more effective in promoting attempts to stop smoking by offering assistance to all smokers than by advising smokers to quit and only offering assistance to those expressing an interest in doing so. Addiction. 2011 Dec 16. PMID: 22175545
