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. 2024 Jul 9;14(7):e081972.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081972.

Interactive voice response (IVR) for tobacco cessation: a systematic review

Maha Khan  1 , Ally Memedovich  1 , Nkiruka Eze  1 , Benedicta Asante  1 , Kamala Adhikari  2 , Rachel Dunn  2 , Fiona Clement  3
Affiliations

Interactive voice response (IVR) for tobacco cessation: a systematic review

Maha Khan et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objective: To summarise the uses, outcomes and implementation of interactive voice response (IVR) as a tobacco cessation intervention.

Data sources: A systematic review was conducted. Searches were performed on 3 May 2023. The strategies used keywords such as "tobacco cessation", "smoking reduction" and "interactive voice recording". Ovid MEDLINE ALL, Embase, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched. Grey literature searches were also conducted.

Study selection: Titles and abstracts were assessed by two independent reviewers. Studies were included if IVR was an intervention for tobacco cessation for adults; any outcomes were reported and study design was comparative. Any abstract included by either reviewer proceeded to full-text review. Full texts were reviewed by two independent reviewers.

Data extraction: Data were independently extracted by two reviewers using a standardised form. The Risk of Bias Tool for Randomised Trials and the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomised Studies of Interventions tools were used to assess study quality.

Data synthesis: Of 308 identified abstracts, 20 moderate-quality to low-quality studies were included. IVR was used standalone or adjunctly as a treatment, follow-up or risk-assessment tool across populations including general smokers, hospitalised patients, quitline users, perinatal women, patients with cancer and veteran smokers. Effective studies found that IVR was delivered more frequently with shorter follow-up times. Significant gaps in the literature include a lack of population diversity, limited implementation settings and delivery schedules, and limited patient and provider perspectives.

Conclusions: While the evidence is weak, IVR appears to be a promising intervention for tobacco cessation. However, pilot programmes and research addressing literature gaps are necessary.

Keywords: health services; preventive medicine; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA for systematic review. CDSR, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, IVR, interactive voice response; PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Summary characteristics of included studies. (A) Study design. (B) Country of publication. (C) Year of publication. (D) Study population size. *Only the 14 years with at least one publication are shown.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Quality assessment for included studies. (A) Risk of the bias—controlled trials. (B) Risk of the bias—observational studies.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Timing of IVR use in the care trajectory. IVR, interactive voice response.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Populations assessed in systematic review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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