Abstract:

Objective To assess the efficacy of medication combined with WeChat platform for quitting smoking in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods A total of 146 COPD patients undergoing quitting smoking intervention were randomly selected between October 2014 and September 2015 by prospective design. One hundred and twenty patients were completely followed up and were assigned to non-drug group (n=38), drug group (n=40) and drug and WeChat group (n=42) according to follow-up methods. All patients were intervened with brief persuasion method and the drug group was treated with varenicline tartrate. Clinical data of nicotine-dependent COPD smoking quitters were analyzed. Successful withdrawal rate of medication or nonmedication and their influencing factors were assessed. Assessment indexes included 7 d point withdrawal rates and sustained withdrawal rates in the first, third and sixth months. Results The 7 d point withdrawal rate in the drug group in the first month was lower than that in the non-drug group (χ²=7.255 9, P=0.023), while those in the drug group in the third and sixth months were higher than those in the non-drug group (χ²=15.283 7, P=0.000；χ²=28.260 3, P=0.000). The differences between the drug and WeChat group and the drug group were not statistically significant (χ²=2.235 1, P=0.125; χ²=0.204 6, P=0.892; χ²=0.244 1, P=0.507). The sustained withdrawal rates in the drug group in the third and sixth months were higher than those in the non-drug group (χ²=11.214 5, P=0.004; χ²=13.278 9, P=0.001). The sustained withdrawal rate in the drug and WeChat group in the third month was higher than that in the drug group (χ²=5.222 4, P=0.022). The difference in sustained withdrawal rate in the sixth month between two groups was not statistically significant (χ²=1.239 7, P=0.237). Conclusion For nicotinedependent COPD patients, medication-assisted quitting smoking can significantly increase the withdrawal rate. Follow-up, propaganda and education via WeChat platform can efficiently promote the quitting smoking process and is helpful for improving the surveillance of drug adherence and withdrawal reactions.

Key words: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, smoking abstinence rate, nicotine replacement therapy, WeChat followup