Proactive smoking cessation in rural primary care using an electronic visit
Official title: Addressing Rural Cancer Disparities via Proactive Smoking Cessation Treatment within Primary Care: A Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of a Scalable Smoking Cessation Electronic Visit
Funded at Medical University of South Carolina · NIH-11378255 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A rural-focused program will use an automated electronic visit in primary care to help smokers quit, reaching patients through their usual clinicians.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical University of South Carolina NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | September 8, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $923,560 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA268023-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11378255 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) in rural areas who smoke and have primary care access with CMS-billable clinics.
✕Less likely to help
People without access to electronic health records or primary care, or those unwilling to use digital health tools, may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project targets adults in rural areas who smoke and aims to deliver evidence-based cessation support through primary care electronic health records. An automated e-visit collects smoking history and readiness to quit, then applies a treatment algorithm to offer FDA-approved options. The approach leverages regular PCP visits to increase access, independence from travel, and timely support for quitting. Results from a prior pilot suggest the method can be scaled within real-world clinics that bill through CMS. If successful, the program could reduce tobacco-related cancers by improving quit rates in rural communities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: It could increase quit rates among rural smokers and reduce tobacco-related cancer risk.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary pilots showed promise in using an e-visit to automate cessation treatment in primary care with positive signals.
Where this research is happening
-
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dahne, Jennifer Renee — Medical University of South Carolina
- Study coordinator: Dahne, Jennifer Renee
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.