INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation (ITPC) recently awarded Clarian Tobacco Control Center (CTCC), a part of the Clarian Health network, a grant to implement new tobacco cessation guidelines, set by the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), throughout its statewide network.
The grant follows the release of the PHS 2008 Clinical Practice Guideline Update: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. The Guideline aims to provide clinicians and health care systems a more consistent and effective approach when treating patients who smoke. According to PHS, “many clinicians lack knowledge about how to identify smokers quickly and easily, which treatments are effective, how such treatments can be delivered, and the relative effectiveness of different treatments.”
“Indiana data show that even brief interventions by our doctors, dentists, nurses and assistants can increase the number of Hoosiers who try to quit,” Karla Sneegas, executive director for ITPC, said. “These new guidelines provide a ‘blueprint’ for clinicians and health care systems, describing how smokers can access effective treatments, how clinicians can provide such treatments quickly and effectively, and how health care systems can support both smokers and clinicians in smoking cessation efforts. We’re pleased to award a grant to Clarian Health to begin implementing these practices.”
The Guideline has been approved nationally by more than 55 major organizations, public health and medical officials, and former U.S. Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop.
“Tobacco dependency should be treated as a chronic disease,” Judy Monroe, M.D., State Health Commissioner, said. “Nicotine addiction often requires repeated intervention and multiple attempts to quit, which is why support from health care providers is essential.”
According to a press release issued by the Indiana State Health Department advocating the new treatment Guideline:
Indiana ranks sixth among all states for adult smoking, with more than 1 million smokers estimated statewide. Sneegas strongly believes that Hoosiers want to quit smoking. Increased calls to the free Indiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) have increased in the past year; however, patients need support. Sneegas says health care providers are perfectly positioned to reach additional Hoosiers who want to quit smoking and provide them the necessary tools in order to be successful.
“Identifying smokers and providing them with brief advice and help with quitting in clinical practice are both very effective and cost effective,” Deborah Hudson, program manager, CTCC, states. “Tobacco cessation is among the top three highest priority and cost-effective preventive services. As a healthcare professional, I found this to be true very early in my practice as a respiratory therapist. While we are asking about smoking status, national benchmarks show there is much room for improvement in delivering cessation assistance. The Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT) showed that 75 percent of people were being asked about use, 49 percent advised to quit, and only 25 percent being offered assistance, like medications. When more than 60 percent of our smokers want to quit, we as health professionals need to be providing the means to assist them. It has become clear over the last decade that providing smoking cessation counseling may be similar to that of annual colon cancer screening, annual flu vaccinations, mammograms and cholesterol screening. This is why the Clarian Tobacco Control Center has launched an effort to assist healthcare providers in integrating evidence-based components that will allow them to provide brief cessation intervention.”
CTCC will use the ITPC grant to ensure that Hoosier patients that smoke are treated for their disease, alongside any additional health issues. Dr. Monroe and Sneegas hope that other health care providers will also employ the Guideline in their facilities. To request a Health Care Provider Tobacco Cessation Kit, contact ITPC at (317) 234-1787 or [email protected] . For more information about CTCC, visit http://www.clarian.org/ctcc . Visit http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco to learn more about the new Guideline.
Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation
CONTACT: Stefanie Walker, of Borshoff for Indiana Tobacco Prevention andCessation, +1-317-631-6400, [email protected]
Web site: http://www.clarian.org/ctcchttp://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco
Comments