Attitudes, barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation among Central and Eastern European nurses: A focus group study

Smoking among nurses is a barrier to providing smoking cessation interventions to patients. In Central and Eastern Europe—where tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease—there is limited knowledge about nurses' attitudes toward cessation interventions. Our aim was to describe the attitudes of nurses who are former and current smokers toward providing cessation interventions to patients as well as explore barriers and facilitators to their own quit efforts. Nine focus groups with 81 nurses (94% females) in five Central and Eastern European countries. Content analysis was used to identify major themes. Nurses agreed that they should set a good example by not smoking; should be involved in helping patients stop smoking; and needed additional training in tobacco control. Five common themes were identified as barriers to quitting: smoking cues in the environment; presence of smokers in the environment; relapse postpartum; stress and nicotine addiction; and misperceptions about the dangers of smoking. Former smokers reported facilitators to quitting including: seeing the health consequences of smoking among their patients; personal and family health concerns; receiving support from family; and pregnancy. There is a need to build upon nurses' positive attitudes about engaging in smoking cessation interventions with patients to ensure that cessation interventions are standard nursing practice. Future studies should focus on programs that support nurses' quit efforts by addressing barriers to smoking cessation, which will improve their health and patient care. •European nurses who smoke had positive attitudes about engaging in smoking cessation interventions with their patients.•Nurses experienced barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation similar to those previously reported among U.S. nurses.•This paper provides context for developing evidence-based programs that support European nurses’ quit efforts by:•Reinforcing nurses' critical role in supporting patients' quit efforts.•Addressing barriers to smoking cessation.•Enhancing nurses' knowledge and skills for coping and relapse.