User satisfaction as a tool for assessment and improvement of quitline in the Republic of Korea

Introduction: There is a lack of studies on Quitline user satisfaction and its potential value to aid in understanding user demand and improve Quitline services. This study evaluated Quitline user satisfaction and its impact on smoking cessation, in order to assess the service's quality and performance in the Republic of Korea. Methods: Between 2007 and 2009, 3,054 Quitline users were invited to participate in an investigation of user satisfaction and its impact on successful smoking cessation. Information on gender, age, education level, body mass index, nicotine dependency, the presence of a quit supporter and alcohol consumption were collected upon Quitline registration. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the impact of user satisfaction on cessation maintenance, and an importance-performance (IP) analysis was used to identify the aspects of Quitline that need improvement. Results: Satisfaction was highest among Quitline users who maintained smoking cessation for 1 year. Quitline users who were satisfied with the contents of counseling and the coaching protocol had an increased probability of successful smoking cessation. According to the IP analysis, coaching skill was the key driver of user satisfaction, while service accessibility, the contents of counseling, and the coaching protocol were factors that need to be improved with some urgency. Conclusion: The present study revealed low user satisfaction for the contents of counseling and the coaching protocol, which would need to be improved with some urgency to increase Quitline performance in Korea. Continued evaluation of Quitline user satisfaction could be a useful tool to understand user demand and implement improvements accordingly.