Türkiye'de sigara bırakma polikliniklerinin erişilebilirliği: Istanbul’da sigara içen bir popülasyon arasında tanımlayıcı bir çalışma

Objective: In 2011, Turkey started the nationwide “Smoking Cessation Treatment Support Program” via Smoking Cessation Clinics (SCC). We examined the functionality of these clinics using Levesque’s framework of access to healthcare services. From the (potential) users’ perspectives we aimed to find the challenges they face in accessing these clinics and we proposed solutions for a better implementation. Methods: We conducted the study among 304 smokers who visited four Family Health Centers in a geographically defined area in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018. Result: We found that 74% of the smokers wished to quit smoking. Within them, 21% didn’t know of SCCs and half of them didn’t know what services were provided there. Among those who knew of SCCs, 30% used them to quit smoking. The majority (75.7%) of the SCC users found the medications expensive; 41% didn’t use them; and 64% didn’t re-visit the clinics for follow-ups. Eventually, 4.3% of the smokers quitted smoking through SCCs. Utilization of these clinics were significantly higher among women (35%) than men (18.6%) (p=0.024); and there was no other differences in terms of age, marital status, income and education level. Conclusion: We conclude that smoking cessation programs in Turkey and other countries can be implemented more efficiently if sufficient number of clinics are opened and are accessible at the local level; more health professionals are trained to practice; the clinics are made more visible; smoking cessation medications are made available constantly; and a closer monitoring of service users is ensured.