THE EFFECT OF TREATMENT METHODS AND CONTINUITY OF FOLLOW-UP ON SUCCESS RATES IN PATIENTS FOLLOWED IN THE SMOKING CESSATION POLYCLINIC.

Objectives: Smoking causes addiction with physical and psychosocial factors. This study aimed to reveal factors that affected the success rate and continuity of follow-up in people who presented to the smoking cessation polyclinic Materials and Methods: The study included 154 patients who presented to the smoking cessation polyclinic (SCP) of a training and research hospital between September 1st, 2018, and February 28th, 2019. Varenicline or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) was given to eligible patients, along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The demographic characteristics, number of cigarettes smoked daily, number of outpatient visits, treatment received, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) results, and treatment success at the end of the third month and first year were examined retrospectively in all patients. Results: Among those who received pharmacotherapy, 33 (21.43%) received varenicline and 37 (24.02%) had NRT. As a result of the analysis, the smoking cessation rate in the entire group was 33.11% at the end of 3 months and 20.78% at the end of 1 year. Three-quarters (75.76%) of patients using varenicline and 54.05% of patients using NRT quit smoking. Although the rate of quitting in patients using varenicline was higher than in those using NRT, it was not statistically significant (p=0.059). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, there was no significant difference between varenicline + CBT and NRT + CBT in smoking cessation. Male sex, receiving treatment, and regular follow-up visits are factors that increase the chances of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]