Auricular Transcutaneous Electrostimulation Therapy and Intensive Counseling for the Treatment of Smoking Cessation in a Primary Care Practice

Auricular transcutaneous electrostimulation therapy (ATET) which is currently used to treat cigarette smoking in many practices needs further evaluation. The purpose of this study is to explore the efficacy of ATET as an adjunctive treatment to intensive individual counseling on smoking cessation in a primary care practice. The data were collected from 29 subjects who received treatment for smoking addiction that included intensive counseling and ATET. Patients completed a demographic data form, the "Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence," the "What Are Your Triggers Test" and the "Why Do I Smoke Quiz." ATET was administered after intensive counseling which stressed benefits of smoking cessation, identified barriers to quitting and developed strategies to overcome these barriers. Follow-up data relied on self-reported smoking cessation during office visits or telephone contact. The smoking cessation rate in this study was 89.7% at 1 week, 73.4% at 3 months, 48.3% at 6 months and 44.8% at 12 months respectively. Fifty percent of those who quit smoking at 1 week relapsed at the end of 12 months, occurring mostly in the first 6 months. Healthcare providers should provide smoking cessation strategies to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with tobacco use. ATET and intensive counseling may be an acceptable alternative therapy for smoking cessation. Further systematic evaluation is needed to quantify the efficacy of this smoking cessation program before it is incorporated in general medical practices.