By George Gaebler, MS Ed, RRT, FAARC

These days, almost everyone agrees smoking can harm your health. And you don’t have to tell most folks how important it is to quit either.

But when it comes right down to it, quitting is tough. Most people need some help to be successful, and smoking cessation programs are the best place to turn for assistance.

Of course, not all smoking cessation programs are created equal. Indeed, the term “smoking cessation” has been used in relation to everything from a telephone “quitline” people can call to get one-time advice about quitting to a pack of nicotine gum.

Respiratory therapists, however, will tell you smoking cessation needs to involve a lot more than that. How can you tell if the program you’re signing up for includes all the right things to help you quit? Look for programs with the following components:

A multidisciplinary team

The best programs involve several different health care professionals. These may include your primary care physician, respiratory therapists, nurses, and social work staff, among others. Together this multidisciplinary team works to coordinate and plan for the screening, intervention, and counseling necessary to help you quit.

Treatment planning

Smokers should be evaluated for their readiness to quit before being enrolled in any program. The best way to determine where you are on the road to quitting is to complete a screening questionnaire.

If you’re classified as “pre-contemplative” – meaning you are really just thinking about quitting – you may receive written materials or other information on smoking cessation and referral to local programs that might aid in your continuation towards the next stages of behavioral change needed for successful smoking cessation.

If you’re classified as “contemplative” (thinking actively about how you can quit) or “prepared to quit” (ready to take the plunge now) you will be given the same written materials or other information and scheduled a time to visit with a member of the team – usually the respiratory therapist – to begin developing the treatment plan. Based on the input the RT receives during this session, the team members can work together to come up with a plan that best meets your individual needs. 

Individual counseling

If you’re in the hospital at the time of referral into the program, individual counseling can begin during the hospital stay. This may include diet counseling (if weight gain from quitting is a concern), exercise suggestions, and supportive literature.

If you’re not in the hospital – or if you’ve just been discharged from the hospital – the same counseling can be conducted in the outpatient setting. This can be anything from your doctor’s office to the health clinic to a community center.

Interventions

In addition to individual counseling, many people enrolled in a smoking cessation program will benefit from nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Your health care team will determine the best type of NRT for you based on the results of your questionnaire and your counseling session with the respiratory therapist.

Telephone follow up is also important, to reinforce messages delivered during scheduled sessions, and the health care team should continue to follow up with you as long as you feel the need for additional support. In most cases, this will be for at least six months to a year.

Working towards the goal

So, as you can see, smoking cessation is more than just “going cold turkey” or picking up a pack of nicotine gum at the pharmacy. When done correctly, it is a standard process involving many different factors, all with one goal in mind: helping you kick the habit and start down the road to better lung health.