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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 1998;279:494.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Noting that research shows that smokers have the best chance of becoming ex-smokers when encouraged by the health professionals who care for them, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) has launched a new Smoking Cessation "Two-Three Initiative," calling on all clinicians to help their patients who smoke to quit by asking 2 questions and offering a 3-minute intervention.

The initiative builds on the agency's smoking cessation clinical practice guideline released last year, which recommends that every medical assessment by clinicians include 2 questions—"Do you smoke?" and "Do you want to quit?"—followed by a 3-minute counseling session recommending smoking cessation treatments proven to work.

For clinicians looking for guidance, AHCPR has developed a Smoking Cessation Consumer Tools Kit, including brief and easy-to-read information sheets that address such topics as multiple attempts to quit, pregnancy and smoking, and smokers facing surgery.

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