Smoking among healthcare professionals is a contradictory behavior with public health implications: A narrative review

Smoking among healthcare professionals remains a major public health challenge, affecting not only their well-being but also the credibility of medical practice and the effectiveness of tobacco cessation counseling.This narrative review examined smoking prevalence, associated factors, and counseling practices among healthcare professionals.The research was conducted by accessing databases such as PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, including articles published between 2012 and 2025.The analyzed samples ranged from institutional cohorts to national surveys, and included doctors, nurses, resident physicians, and other medical staff.Original studies that assessed the prevalence of smoking among medical staff, sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes and practices regarding counseling patients to quit smoking, were selected.Non-original articles that did not provide relevant background or contextual information, studies that did not clearly specify the professional status of respondents or those whose data were irrelevant to the subject or of doubtful clarity, were excluded.A total of 68 studies were selected, including 60 original studies.The findings underscore the vast heterogeneity in terms of study design, geographical distribution, and population characteristics.The prevalence of smoking varies significantly depending on professional category and geographical area.Among physicians, reported prevalence ranged from approximately 0.5% in Malaysia to over 50% in Turkey.Smoking is more common in men, younger professionals and auxiliary medical professions.Although most health professionals are aware of the risks of tobacco smoking, the practice of counseling patients remains suboptimal, influenced by lack of time, specific training and their own smoking behavior.The results highlight a wide variability in smoking prevalence among medical staff, depending on the professional category, gender, age, and geographical context, as well as the existence of gaps in patient counseling practices for smoking cessation.The heterogeneity of the included studies and the different methodologies underscore the need for further research to provide solid evidence and clarify the determinants of smoking among medical personnel.