Smokers given a few automated phone calls and a free supply of nicotine replacement medication over a 60-day program were more likely to be successful in quitting smoking.

A clinical trial involved 397 participants admitted between August 2010 and November 2012 to the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The smokers being treated in the hospital, where smoking is not allowed, were offered nicotine replacement therapy as a means to cope with withdrawal symptoms they might feel after they quit smoking.

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Patients who intended to quit the habit entirely after being released from the hospital were able to get aid from counselors at the Massachusetts General's Tobacco Treatment Service.

In the study, 199 patients were given access to a toll-free quit line and a suggestion for a tobacco cessation drug that could be prescribed by a physician.

The other 198 patients were given a free 30-day cache of medication that could be refilled twice in the duration of the study. They also received counseling.

The 198 participants who received "sustained care" were also presented with five automated phone calls that motivated each and every one of them to continue medicating themselves; gave guidance to aid them stay smoke-free and named individuals who required a one-on-one talk with a counselor.

After half-a-year, 27 percent of the patients who received the "sustained care" told researchers they haven't smoked any nicotine-containing substance, as well as e-cigarettes, in the prior weeks.

To make sure, scientists tested for carbon monoxide in the participant's breath; collected saliva and tested it for an enzyme named cotinine, which is produced by the body to break down nicotine.

The result of the biochemical tests proved that 26 percent of the formerly nicotine-dependent participants refused to light-up for at least seven days.

Meanwhile, the 16 percent of the participants who received normal care told researchers they were smoke-free in the previous week, and 15 percent were confirmed to have not smoked.

Patients who were given "sustained care" were 70 percent to 71 percent more likely to quit smoking than participants who were offered normal care after six months, according to the researchers.

Tagssmoking, Research, Science, Hospital, medicine, Counselling, Massachussets