Revisión de la efectividad del consejo médico para dejar de fumar en atención primaria.

After recognizing smoking habit as a relevant problem in our media, the complex implications of this type of lifestyle are commented. After revising the main obstacles for achieving primary health care preventive measures not only for the patient, who frequently looks for a "treatment", but also for the professional who generally desires immediate therapeutic success, we describe the evolution of medical advice as a treatment for controlling smoking habit. Studies done on this topic during the last 20 years have made possible the identification of the basic factors associated with the success of this procedure, such as complementing medical advice with graphic support, establishing a date for dropping the habit, programming follow-up visits, individualization of risks and the use of alternative resources such as nicotine chewing gum. We conclude that intervention of primary health care professionals is usefull and necessary and using the information available is a good way to start.