Five things health-care providers need to know to help smokers quit

Read the five top things health-care providers should know to help people quit smoking, according to Dr. Peter Selby

Peter Selby

Dr. Peter Selby created the Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation Counselling and Health (TEACH) Learning Centre, a certificate program in Intensive Smoking Cessation Counselling.  He shares his five most important things health-care providers need to know to help people quit smoking.

 

  1. Quitting is a process, not an event.
  2. Quitting occurs within the context of a relationship in which you and the smoker can trust each other and enhance motivation to quit.
  3. The use of medication roughly doubles the chances of smoking cessation success and medication should be used as directed.
  4. Helping people make their homes and environments smoke free is a very critical part of the quitting process.
  5. The most important thing is to recognize that people who are coming in for smoking cessation have comorbidities, whether they’re psychosocial, psychiatric or physical.