A smoking cessation tool built into an EHR was associated with a decrease in self-reported smoking rates among cancer patients, a recent study in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found.
EHR vendor Epic's Elevate platform features a smoking module that notifies oncology clinicians to ask patients their smoking status and, if necessary, offer cessation tips or medications and counseling.
According to the study of 3,238 medical oncology patients who smoked, 17.2 percent of patients reported quitting smoking after the platform's implementation compared to 12 percent before.