Each year in Ireland, over 4,500 people die due to smoking. Each week in our hospitals, almost 1,000 admissions are smoking-related.1 These numbers are stark and are a reminder that Ireland is still deep in an epidemic of smoking-related harm. Approximately, 1-in-5 (18%) adults currently smoke with men being more likely to smoke than women, and people living in more deprived areas are more than twice as likely to smoke as people living in more affluent areas.2 People who smoke live shorter lives and have poorer overall health, compared to those who do not smoke.1 Many people who smoke want to quit but quitting smoking is difficult and most try to quit without support. We know that this is the least effective way of quitting smoking. 2
As a healthcare professional or if you are working with the public in a health or social care capacity, you have a unique opportunity to promote recommended stop-smoking care in routine, daily interactions with people who smoke. A new training course, developed by the HSE, aims to help you build your knowledge, skill and confidence to recommend and advise on stop-smoking medicines. This online training course, Stop Smoking Medicines & How to Use Them is available on www.hseland.ie, you can find it by searching for ‘Stop Smoking’ and it takes approximately 45 minutes to complete.
It details the various stop smoking treatments recommended for use by adults (aged 18+) in Ireland, with an additional focus on care of women who smoke in pregnancy and users of secondary mental health services. The training also includes material on alternative methods and products, and will enable you to have an informed discussion with your patients about these products. In addition, you will learn about the evidence-based behavioural support provided by certified HSE Stop Smoking Advisors, and how you can refer people to this evidence-based service. Stop Smoking Services are available widely across our communities, in our hospitals, and also on the national stop smoking quitline (1800 201 203).
In January 2022, the Department of Health published Ireland’s first National Stop Smoking Clinical Guidelines.3 They include recommendations for all healthcare professionals on providing good stop-smoking care to the patients and clients they meet on a daily basis. The recommendations can increase a person’s chances of quitting smoking up to 4 times compared to quitting alone and can be summarised by 3 simple actions:
- ASK people about their smoking,
- ADVISE them to quit smoking and that there are supports available to help them quit,
- ACT by recommending or prescribing Stop Smoking Medicines and referring them to HSE Stop Smoking Services for behavioural support.
References:
The State of Tobacco Control in Ireland Report – Second Report (2022). HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme. https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/tobaccocontrol/research/state-of-tobacco-control-report-2022.pdf
Healthy Ireland Survey 2023. Department of Health https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/73c9d-healthy-ireland-survey-2023/
National Clinical Guideline No.28 – Stop Smoking. Department of Health. https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/4828b-stop-smoking/
Further Information on Stop Smoking Medicines is available here:
https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/tobaccocontrol/resources/stop-smoking-medications.html
Find your Local HSE Stop Smoking Service:
https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/quit-smoking/support-services/
Contact:
Aishling Sheridan, HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme. [email protected]