Comments on: Should nurses be the ones to help patients stop smoking? http://blogs.hcpro.com/nursemanagers/2010/07/should-nurses-be-the-ones-to-help-patients-stop-smoking/ A nursing blog from Strategiesfornursemanagers.com Thu, 17 May 2012 08:38:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Maggie Joosten,RN, BSN http://blogs.hcpro.com/nursemanagers/2010/07/should-nurses-be-the-ones-to-help-patients-stop-smoking/comment-page-1/#comment-360 Maggie Joosten,RN, BSN Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:16:04 +0000 http://blogs.hcpro.com/nursemanagers/?p=1284#comment-360 At our hospital, we offer smoking cessation and hand the patient a handout as well regarding the risks of smoking and options of smoking cessation. If the patient is interested in the smoking cessation program, then we put in a referral right away and they are seen in the hospital. Besides the above mentioned issue of nurses are smokers themselves, there are also the following issues: 1. Patients are not in the hospitals very long, so it can be challenging to meet all of their education needs--especially if an issue is not directly related to their admitting diagnosis. 2. Being admitted to the hospital is often a stressor for people and smoking tends to be one of their coping mechanisms. Patients are often unwilling or unable to discuss smoking cessation at that time. So, hospitalization may not be the best time to discuss smoking cessation. 3. In answer to the questions posed in the article: I think we should assist patients in smoking cessation and it should be offered in the hospitals. I think clinic settings with the physicians may be the more appropriate setting and their should be more emphasis in this area. Responsibility also needs to be put on the patients. After all, the negative health risks of smoking have been well published for years. The patient chooses to smoke and they need to be actively seeking help to stop smoking if they so choose. No, I don't think nurses should be reprimanded for not offering a patient smoking cessation assistance. At our hospital, we offer smoking cessation and hand the patient a handout as well regarding the risks of smoking and options of smoking cessation. If the patient is interested in the smoking cessation program, then we put in a referral right away and they are seen in the hospital.

Besides the above mentioned issue of nurses are smokers themselves, there are also the following issues:
1. Patients are not in the hospitals very long, so it can be challenging to meet all of their education needs–especially if an issue is not directly related to their admitting diagnosis.
2. Being admitted to the hospital is often a stressor for people and smoking tends to be one of their coping mechanisms. Patients are often unwilling or unable to discuss smoking cessation at that time. So, hospitalization may not be the best time to discuss smoking cessation.
3. In answer to the questions posed in the article: I think we should assist patients in smoking cessation and it should be offered in the hospitals. I think clinic settings with the physicians may be the more appropriate setting and their should be more emphasis in this area. Responsibility also needs to be put on the patients. After all, the negative health risks of smoking have been well published for years. The patient chooses to smoke and they need to be actively seeking help to stop smoking if they so choose. No, I don’t think nurses should be reprimanded for not offering a patient smoking cessation assistance.

]]> By: Joanne Thompson, RN, BSN http://blogs.hcpro.com/nursemanagers/2010/07/should-nurses-be-the-ones-to-help-patients-stop-smoking/comment-page-1/#comment-359 Joanne Thompson, RN, BSN Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:17:25 +0000 http://blogs.hcpro.com/nursemanagers/?p=1284#comment-359 When I learn from my (or another nurse) admission data base that my patient has or is a smoker I do delve deeper into the question "do you smoke?". I spend less that two minutes finding out if they need help to quit or to remain smoke free. If they are in need of and want a nicoderm patch I immediately call their doctor for the order. I educate my patients to speak with their doctor for a long-term plan for smoking cessation AND I make a referral to our Social Worker/Case Manager for community support. I do not smoke and even the nurses who do smoke know that it is an unhealthy vice and perhaps their continued involvement with educating their patients will help them quit also. When I learn from my (or another nurse) admission data base that my patient has or is a smoker I do delve deeper into the question “do you smoke?”. I spend less that two minutes finding out if they need help to quit or to remain smoke free. If they are in need of and want a nicoderm patch I immediately call their doctor for the order. I educate my patients to speak with their doctor for a long-term plan for smoking cessation AND I make a referral to our Social Worker/Case Manager for community support. I do not smoke and even the nurses who do smoke know that it is an unhealthy vice and perhaps their continued involvement with educating their patients will help them quit also.

]]> By: Helen P. Murphy http://blogs.hcpro.com/nursemanagers/2010/07/should-nurses-be-the-ones-to-help-patients-stop-smoking/comment-page-1/#comment-358 Helen P. Murphy Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:05:07 +0000 http://blogs.hcpro.com/nursemanagers/?p=1284#comment-358 One of the reasons the nurses do not feel they can talk to the patients about smoking as they are smokers themselves. Many nurses smoke!!! One of the reasons the nurses do not feel they can talk to the patients about smoking as they are smokers themselves. Many nurses smoke!!!

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