Protecting Hospital Patients from Passive Smoking

Ample evidence exists showing the dangers of tobacco smoking for smokers as well as non-smokers exposed to passive smoking (Aronow, 1978; Aronow, Ferlinz, & Glauser, 1977; Russell, Cole, & Brown, 1973). Despite the hazards of tobacco smoking to smokers and non-smokers, little effort has been directed to controlling smoking in hospital settings. In the Fall of 1978, smoking and no-smoking'signs were placed throughout the first floor outpatient clinic area of the New Orleans Veterans Administration Medical Center designating smoking and no smoking areas. The net result of this signage program was the significant reduction in the amount of passive smoking to which non-smoking patients were exposed. Compliance with the posted no-smoking signs is fairly good by the majority of patients who do not smoke in no-smoking areas. Anecdotal information from patients being seen for counseling about smoking cessation indicates that the environmental manipulation of limiting tobacco smoking in the medical center is a positive factor in increasing the desire to stop smoking. The eventual goal is for the entire hospital to be a no-smoking area with designated smoking areas accessible to all patients and employees. Hospitals have a moral, ethical, and legal responsibility to protect their patients from controllable hazards such as tobacco smoke. The experience at the New Orleans VA Medical Center indicates chat a comprehensive program of signs designating smoking and no-smoking areas is a feasible procedure for hlfilling this responsibility

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