Study: Jury Still Out on Best Form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy
A study of 299 smokers found that after six months, those who used a nicotine nasal spray and those who used a skin patch quit at about the same rate (12 percent of those using the spray and 15 percent of those using the patch) (Article, p. 426). However, smokers who were highly dependent on nicotine, obese, and nonwhite achieved higher abstinence rates with the spray, while low to moderately nicotine dependent, nonobese, and white smokers achieved higher abstinence rates with the patch. Thus, ethnicity, weight, and level of nicotine dependence may help identify smokers who will do well with one form of nicotine replacement therapy or another. These findings require confirmation in larger studies.
Disclosing Medical Errors Has Varying Effects on Patients
A study of how people react to descriptions of a patient and a medical mistake found that full disclosure of the error improved patients' trust and satisfaction with their physicians but did not necessarily affect their feelings about seeking legal advice (Article, p. 409; Editorial, p. 482). Researchers studied responses of 958 adults who returned a survey containing a scenario that described a medical error and asked the subject to state whether they would seek legal advice. E
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Contact: Penny Fuller
pfuller@acponline.org
215-351-2656
American College of Physicians
15-Mar-2004