A review of the evidence based smoking cessation interventions delivered by the family physician
Castel, O.Cohen.; Karkabi, S.; Dahan, R.; Karkabi, K.; Hermoni, D.
Harefuah 144(10): 724-8 750 749
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0017-7768 PMID: 16281766 Document Number: 587121
Smoking is one of the most preventable causes of morbidity and mortality resulting in almost 10,000 deaths each year in Israel. Since tobacco-related disease is preventable, efforts to promote cessation in patients who smoke should be a routine step in preventive primary care measures. In Israel, 26% of the adult population smoke. Within this group, a third want to quit but only two percent succeed in abstaining from smoking for a whole year.Family physicians are in an ideal position to facilitate patients' attempts to quit smoking: 70% of smoking patients report that firm, supportive messages from their family physician can act as an important motivating factor to quit smoking. The updated Clinical Practice Guidelines from the US Public Health Service recommend that family physicians should opportunistically advise smokers to stop smoking during routine consultation, encourage and assist smokers in the use of nicotine replacement therapies or bupropion and refer smokers to professional behavioral or psychological counselors specializing in smoking cessation.