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Table 3 Shows comments to main statement grouped by respondent group and attitude (Number of comments in each comment category in brackets)

From: “Right to recommend, wrong to require”- an empirical and philosophical study of the views among physicians and the general public on smoking cessation as a condition for surgery

All physicians:

General public:

Agree with the main statement

Disagree with the main statement

Agree with the main statement

Disagree with the main statement

Reject requirement (18) “There are situations where demanding is impossible”; “Consider special cases”

Reject requirement (22) “Unethical to deny”; “Illegal to deny”

Reference to risksa (10) “Unnecessary health risks”; “Wound healing and infections”

Reject requirement (7) “Right to recommend, wrong to require”; “It is not illegal to smoke”

Reference to risksa (15) “Medically indicated”; “Smoking affects the outcome and therefore should be avoided”

Delimitation issues (6) “Who can determine where the line is to be drawn?”; “How about overweight patients?”

Reject requirement (7) “Too important to be made conditional”; “The physician needs to be a diplomat”

Reference to risksa (1) “If the surgeon knows the patient will be much worse off”

Methodological issues (10) “This kind of surgery is not affected by smoking”; “8 weeks is too short”

Methodological issues (3) “Many other factors contribute to peri-operative risk”

Paternalistic reasons (8) “The patient should stop smoking forever”; “It is in the patient’s own best interest”.

Delimitation issues (1) “Who’ll decide what other life style related issues that should matter?”

Reference to societal costs (9) “Less costly to society”; “Complications are an economic burden to public health care”

Reference to risksa (1) “Negligible risk”

Obedience (3) “The surgeon knows best”; “Patients should obey doctors’ orders”

Methodological issues (1) “How can the surgeon know the patient stopped smoking?”

Miscellaneous (9) “We have this policy”; “No reason not to”

 

Reference to societal costs (5) “Expensive not to take preventive measures”; “Expenses to the taxpayer”

 
  

Reference to virtue (2) “You should do what’s best”; “All should chip in”

 
  

Miscellaneous (10) “Seems reasonable”; “Should be done with all surgery”

 
  1. aSome of the comments that make reference to risk seem to be focussing on surgery-related risk (“risk for complications”), whereas others refer to the general health risks associated with smoking