Jump to full article: Nursing in practice (uk), 2009-06-02
Intro: A new systems-based approach to smoking interventions in primary care has increased referrals to local NHS Stop Smoking services by up to 49% in pilot areas, says the Department of Health (DH).
The new approach, which will be rolled out to practices over the next few months, was developed to ensure stop smoking interventions by healthcare professionals are routine and systematic, providing a tailored and consistent approach to patient referral.
The approach recognises smoking as a key clinical issue requiring treatment or referral to a specialist, joining standard issues such as hypertension or high cholesterol.
The system ensures that basic advice on stopping smoking is offered to all smokers, which doubles the likelihood of a quit attempt. Practices that have this systems-based approach in place are expected to see improved quit rates in their patients.
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