Abstract

JUSTIZ DE LA ROSA, Lourdes; ALAYO JUSTIZ, Ileana  and  BRINONES IBARRA, Isabel. Papel de la enfermera en la aplicación de una escala de medición de la autoeficacia para dejar de fumar. Rev Cubana Enfermer [online]. 2003, vol.19, n.3. ISSN 0864-0319.

Self-efficacy or self-referred judgement is the ability of performing concrete behavior or action, a term used in the last years in the field of health education. A literature review of this term was made by relating it to tobacco use cessation and the role played by the nurse to raise self-efficacy in her patients. A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in which a perceived self-efficacy measurement scale was applied to 51 patients willing to quit smoking. The setting of the study was the family doctor's office no 36 of "28 of September" polyclinics in Santiago de Cuba municipality. Patients were followed up for 3 months, it was found that the 31 smokers who showed higher self-efficacy score kept higher rates of abstinence than the 20 ones with the lowest scores. The strategy that the nurse can follow to raise self-efficacy in the primary health care was underlined. It was demonstrated how the level of perceived self-efficacy predicted the successful probabilities of abstinence since a higher level of self-efficacy leads to a higher percentage of abstinence. The results confirmed the important educational role of the nurse, who can make the patient feel encouraged, advised, sensitized and capable of ceasing smoking.

Keywords : SELF-EFFICACY; HEALTH EDUCATION; SMOKING [prevention & control]; COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSISNG; HEALTH PROMOTION; SMOKING CESSATION; TOBACCO USE CESSATION.