Evaluation of Quitline
Quitline provides information and support over the telephone, to people who want to quit smoking.
In NSW, the Cancer Institute NSW is responsible for managing the Quitline.
To ensure that we continue to provide the best possible service, we are conducting an evaluation of Quitline.
What is involved in the Quitline evaluation?
We are currently working on a survey of people who have spoken to Quitline. This is conducted over the phone, and at three points in time over 6 months.
Other components of the evaluation have been completed; these are listed below. We evaluate the Quitline service in this way, so we can understand the quality of the service, who uses Quitline and who doesn’t, and how effective the service is. The recommendations of the evaluation will be used to improve the service for people who use it in the future.
Components of the evaluation include:
- Interviews with people who work on Quitline
- Interviews with health professionals
- Interviews with people who smoke, who have never called Quitline
- A review of Quitline policies and procedures
- An analysis of the (deidentified) database.
The evaluation has been reviewed and approved by the NSW Population Health Services Research Ethics Committee (2020/ETH01020) and Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council Ethics Committee (1665/20).
Who is doing the evaluation?
The Cancer Institute NSW has contracted an independent research agency, ENGINE, to complete the evaluation.
You can read about ENGINE on their website: www.enginegroup.com/au/
Why have I been contacted to participate?
It’s important that we speak to a range of people to ask about their experiences of Quitline. When you spoke to Quitline for the first time, they asked if you would consent to participating in the evaluation. Only people who give this consent are contacted by ENGINE.
It is important to remember that you can decline to participate at any time. If you decide to participate or not, it will not affect the service that Quitline provides you.
What information will you collect about me?
If you agree to take part, you will be asked about your experiences with Quitline and how it could be improved. An interviewer from ENGINE will conduct the interview over the telephone and it will approximately 15 minutes to complete, depending on your answers. The interviewer will ask you questions about smoking and quitting behaviours and your perceptions of the Quitline service.
How will my information be used?
ENGINE will combine the information they get from all the surveys with the information from the other parts of the evaluation. It will be impossible for the Quitline or the Cancer Institute NSW to know who participated in the survey and who did not. The survey data are de-identified so identifying details such as names or contact details are not included.
The information that you provide will be used only for the purpose of improving the Quitline service.
How did we get your telephone number?
Quitline asks people who they speak to for the first time if they give their consent to participate in a follow-up survey about Quitline. If they agree to participate, Quitline sends their name and phone number to ENGINE. ENGINE contacts these people by telephone to ask if they would like to complete the survey.
