Decades of research tell us that clinicians can have an important impact on their patients’ likelihood of achieving cessation. A meta-analysis of 29 studies determined that patients who received a tobacco cessation intervention from a nonphysician clinician or a physician clinician were 1.7 and 2.2 times as likely to quit (at 5 or more months postcessation), respectively, compared with patients who did not receive such an intervention (Fiore et al., 2000). Self-help materials were only slightly better than no clinician.

Fiore et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Clinical Practice Guideline. USDHHS, PHS, 2000.