Contingency Management for Veteran Smokers Undergoing Major Elective Surgery

Description

The goal of this study is to design and test the first mobile contingency management (CM) smoking cessation intervention for military Veterans undergoing major elective surgery. Smoking is the leading risk factor for postoperative complications and is associated with longer hospital stays, reoperations, and 30-day mortality. Smoking rates among patients undergoing major elective surgery are high, 22.3-43.0%. It is imperative to identify efficacious, strategically timed smoking cessation interventions for surgery patients. CM incentivizes smoking cessation through positive reinforcement (rewards) when bioverified abstinence is achieved. To ensure feasibility, CM must be tailored to the clinical context. CM for smoking cessation has never been delivered before and after major surgery, nor has mobile CM bioverification been trialed perioperatively. The investigators will develop and test a tailored mobile smoking cessation CM protocol for Veterans undergoing major elective surgery.

Conditions

Tobacco Use Disorder, Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

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Study Overview

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Study Details

Study overview

The goal of this study is to design and test the first mobile contingency management (CM) smoking cessation intervention for military Veterans undergoing major elective surgery. Smoking is the leading risk factor for postoperative complications and is associated with longer hospital stays, reoperations, and 30-day mortality. Smoking rates among patients undergoing major elective surgery are high, 22.3-43.0%. It is imperative to identify efficacious, strategically timed smoking cessation interventions for surgery patients. CM incentivizes smoking cessation through positive reinforcement (rewards) when bioverified abstinence is achieved. To ensure feasibility, CM must be tailored to the clinical context. CM for smoking cessation has never been delivered before and after major surgery, nor has mobile CM bioverification been trialed perioperatively. The investigators will develop and test a tailored mobile smoking cessation CM protocol for Veterans undergoing major elective surgery.

Contingency Management for Veteran Smokers Undergoing Major Elective Surgery

Contingency Management for Veteran Smokers Undergoing Major Elective Surgery

Condition
Tobacco Use Disorder
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

San Francisco

San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, California, United States, 94121

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * English-speaking;
  • * Veteran enrolled in healthcare at SFVAHCS;
  • * Veteran scheduled for major elective surgery within the next 6 weeks (including but not limited to: general, spinal, thoracic, vascular, urological, gynecological, orthopedic, gender affirming). Veterans, who are followed at SFVAHCS by Primary Care and are referred to outside institutions for major surgery (e.g., gynecological or gender-affirming surgeries) are also eligible to participate;
  • * Current (past 30 days) cigarette smoking a minimum of 2 cigarettes per day (average), assessed by Timeline Followback (TLFB);
  • * Open to receiving smoking cessation interventions.
  • * Untreated, current, active problem gambling, assessed by medical record diagnosis and/ or Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score ≥ 8;
  • * Enrollment in end of life/ palliative care;
  • * Surgery with a clinical indication for cancer;
  • * Unable to meet time commitment;
  • * Currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study (people of childbearing potential ages 18-55);
  • * A suicide attempt or suicidal ideation with intent in the 30 days before enrollment;
  • * Concurrent participation in another tobacco cessation trial.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

University of California, San Francisco,

Ellen Herbst, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, San Francisco VA Health Care System

Study Record Dates

2026-07-01