Nurse Eva Gavilán , a professional at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, has been awarded the ‘Ciudad de Sevilla’ 2025 Best Research Study Award for a study focused on the implementation of interventions to quit smoking before surgery and linked to the Tobacco Control Unit (UCT) .
The research analyses interventions aimed at helping patients quit smoking before surgery, taking into account the evidence that associates smoking with a higher risk of postoperative complications. Despite this risk, the results show that the level of intervention during preoperative visits is low. The study identifies two main barriers: lack of knowledge and lack of support or resources available to healthcare professionals.
Under the title “Factors associated with the implementation of presurgical interventions to help quit smoking in XXX hospitals: A survey of professionals”, the study underlines the need to integrate tobacco control as a structural part of surgical care, and defends the importance of strengthening the skills and resources of medical teams to improve the recovery of operated patients.
The award winner is carrying out her doctoral thesis at the International University of Catalonia (UIC), focused on the study of tobacco consumption and the pre-surgical care process. The research is linked to the Tobacco Control Unit (UCT), under the direction of Dr. Esteve Fernández and the Dr. Cristina Martinez .
This study has been possible thanks to the collaboration of the Catalan Network of Smoke-Free Hospitals , which has supported the initiative by promoting participation and disseminating the KABO questionnaire . This tool, designed and validated by the UCT team, assesses the level of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and organizational elements that can favor or hinder interventions to quit smoking in the hospital setting.
