Podiatry and anti-smoking campaign

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Developing the public health role of a front line clinical service: integrating stop smoking advice into routine podiatry services.
Gray J, Eden G, Williams M.
J Public Health (Oxf). 2007 May 11; [Epub ahead of print]

 

A useful link that I have found is www.whyquit.com.

This website provides ‘motivation, education and support for cold turkey nicotine cessation.’
Just to understand the addiction, without losing the patient's attention, respect, or getting them off side.
Maybe instead finding a unique or new angle to educate them with.
Also, if the patient uses the Internet, and wishes to quit, they could investigate this website in their own time.

Patient Nicotine Dependancy Recovery Resources for Medical Professionals
http://www.whyquit.com/patient_cessation.html

How do I help a smoker quit smoking
http://whyquit.com/pr/091409.html


Joel's "My Cigarette My Friend" has become a staple in cessation programs around the globe and is an excellent ice-breaking article to keep available in your patient waiting area.
http://whyquit.com/whyquit/joelcigfriend.html


Motivation

Emphasis on cold turkey cessation

http://www.brandoncarmichael.com/my_story.html
Buergers disease . real case 24 yr old bilateral amputee.

 

Hi Elizabeth,

Thanks for posting info on such an important public health issue, I am always glad to see smoking cessation included in podiatric practice. However, I should start by saying that I don’t consider some of the information on the website you mention to be credible. As such, I would like to contribute towards the evidence-base posted on this subject thread, in order to further debate on such issues;
here’s a link to NICE public health guidance 10 on smoking cessation services - http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/PH010guidance.pdf ;
a link to NICE public health intervention guidance no1 on brief interventions and referrals in primary care - http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/PH001_smoking_cessation.pdf ;
finally, a link to a Cochrane systematic review (Stead et al 2008) on NRT effectiveness –
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18253970?dopt=Abstract

The health professional advice given on the whyquit.com site provides a lengthy review of NRT research, which finally concludes that NRT is not effective. Such conclusions are contrary to the findings of the literature listed above, and in my opinion are a misguided summary of current therapeutic practice. I applaud the questioning of research in this area, in light of the political influence of powerful drug companies involved in NRT manufacture. I don’t think NICE guidelines are written in stone. However, I do feel that the balance of evidence supports the use of NRT for patients attempting to quit. NRT remains one of the first-line drug therapies used by smoking cessation advisors, GPs and pharmacists in primary care settings, as part of a withdrawl-oriented, abstinent-contingent therapeutic approach.
The NHS smoking cessation community has a lot to offer in terms of evidence-base in this area. NRT, and associated drug therapies, are just one area of research as smoking cessation involves health-related behavioural change. Robert West (@UCL) and Peter Hajek (@Barts) develop and run smoking cessation training courses for NHS advisors and are leaders in the UK in this area of research. Should the podiatry community be developing relationships in this area, at the top-end of the profession? Is it already happening?
From a subjective viewpoint, I feel that one of the greatest opportunities for podiatrists is in the assessment of smokers’ level of motivation to quit; the use of motivational interviewing to assess readiness to change detrimental health behaviour is well-practised in other clinical settings, and would arguably increase effectiveness in referral to smoking cessation teams of those patients who are most likely to succeed.
Best wishes, Sim.

 

Thanks for your input, Sim.

I definitely have gained quite a biased opinion in favour of the whyquit website teachings. However, I am always prepared to look at both sides of the coin, so will study these links, when I get a chance.

Elizabeth

 

Elizabeth,
To balance your self-confessed biased opinion, you may also want to study this link, when you get the chance, to take a look at both sides of the coin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9O1Cv7wudU

 

Simon

This Youtube video balances nothing.
It has nothing to do with whether we as practitioners can feel confident in recommending one method of nicotine cessation over another.
That is, going cold turkey or using NRT therapy.

The comments underneath the video were, on the other hand of interest.

 

Its called "comedy", never mind. Lighten-up or light-up it's your choice and mine. I'm sure the irony of Bill's situation was not lost on him. Have a nice day.

 

Maybe enthusiasm is the antidote to the poison of unnecessary mimicry from other posters.

Comedy, yea, I know it, I used to do theatresports, was even up on stage.

One of the points I am trying to make is that the likes of Bill could still be with us, if he had found the right avenue to quit, as something like 80% of smokers truly want to quit, and he was probably one of them.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say on the subject.