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Contingency Management for Veteran Smokers Undergoing Major Elective Surgery

Who can join

Ages 18 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* English-speaking;
* Veteran enrolled in healthcare at SFVAHCS;
* Veteran scheduled for major elective surgery within the next 6 months (including but not limited to: general, spinal, thoracic, vascular, urological, gynecological, orthopedic, gender affirming). Veterans, who are followed at SFVAHCS by Primary Care and are referred to outside institutions for major surgery (e.g., gynecological or gender-affirming surgeries) are also eligible to participate;
* Current (past 30 days) cigarette smoking a minimum of 1 cigarette per day (average), assessed by Timeline Followback (TLFB);
* Open to receiving smoking cessation interventions.

Exclusion Criteria:

Evaluated by investigative team medical record review and clinical assessment: - Psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, neurocognitive disorder, or other psychiatric or medical conditions judged by the PI to be unstable based on medical record review and/or screening results;

* Untreated, current, active problem gambling, assessed by medical record diagnosis and/ or Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score ≥ 8;
* Enrollment in end of life/ palliative care;
* Surgery with a clinical indication for cancer;
* Unable to meet time commitment;
* Currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study (people of childbearing potential ages 18-55);
* A suicide attempt or suicidal ideation with intent in the 30 days before enrollment;
* Concurrent participation in another tobacco cessation trial.

About the study

The goal of this study is to design and test the first mobile contingency management (CM) smoking cessation intervention for military Veterans undergoing major elective surgery. Smoking is the leading risk factor for postoperative complications and is associated with longer hospital stays, reoperations, and 30-day mortality. Smoking rates among patients undergoing major elective surgery are high, 22.3-43.0%. It is imperative to identify efficacious, strategically timed smoking cessation interventions for surgery patients.

CM incentivizes smoking cessation through positive reinforcement (rewards) when bioverified abstinence is achieved. To ensure feasibility, CM must be tailored to the clinical context. CM for smoking cessation has never been delivered before and after major surgery, nor has mobile CM bioverification been trialed perioperatively. The investigators will develop and test a tailored mobile smoking cessation CM protocol for Veterans undergoing major elective surgery.

What is being tested

• Contingency Management (CM) (behavioral)
• Treatment as Usual (TAU) (behavioral)

Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco · Participants: 36 · Started: Aug 1, 2025

Contact the study team

• Ellen Herbst, MD · Phone: 415-221-4810
• Yim Fan (Christy) Wong, BS · Phone: (415) 221-4810

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06678672

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Quitting Smoking (Tobacco Use Disorder)
• Drug Use and Addiction

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.