Helping smokers quit during emergency department visits

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

The INITIATE Study is a randomized controlled trial aimed at increasing long-term smoking abstinence among tobacco smokers who visit emergency departments. It involves a Quit Card Intervention (QCI) that provides behavioral incentives and tailored follow-up support to participants. The study targets smokers who are daily users of tobacco and assesses the impact of the intervention on smoking cessation, health outcomes, and healthcare utilization over a 24-month period. With millions of emergency department visits involving smokers each year, this study seeks to address the underutilization of effective smoking cessation interventions in healthcare settings.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Current daily smoker (smokes ≥ 5 cigarettes per day);
* ≥ 18 years of age (the age of majority in Ontario);
* For ED sites only, assigned a CTAS level of 2-5 (emergent to non-urgent);
* Able to read and understand English or French;
* Resides in Ontario and eligible for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (to permit linkage with administrative data housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences \[ICES\]);
* Available and willing to participate in follow-up assessments over the next 12 months;
* Has access to a telephone or computer;
* Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Currently participating in this or another smoking cessation study;
* For ED sites only, assigned a CTAS level of 1 (resuscitation - the most seriously ill patients with highest likelihood of hospital admission) or in psychiatric emergency unit;
* Pregnant, planning to become pregnant over the next year, or breastfeeding;
* Has morbid illness which will prevent completion of 26-week follow-up (e.g., receiving palliative care);
* In the opinion of the attending physician, manifests acute physical and/or psychiatric illness or has cognitive impairment that would preclude participation in/benefit from the intervention.
* Scheduled for a known elected surgery, procedure, or future hospitalization during the study period.

Where it's running

• Civic Hospital
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Recruiting
• General Hospital
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Recruiting
• Riverside Hospital
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Recruiting
• University of Ottawa Heart Institute
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Kerri-Anne Mullen, PhD — Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation
• Study coordinator: Chantelle Masterson, BPhil
• Email: cmasterson@ottawaheart.ca
• Phone: 613-696-7000

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

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• Helping smokers practice quitting tobacco

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.