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No Commercial Support or Sponsorship is accepted by CEU4U, Inc.
Products, drugs, and/or therapies discussed within this educational offering do NOT imply endorsement by CEU4U, Inc. or American Nurses Credentialing Center.
No off label use of product(s) are discussed in this educational offering.
The author(s) and planning committee of this content declare that they have no real or perceived conflict of interest related to this presentation.
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Course Sample:
GOALS
- Examine the impact of smoking on health.
- Differentiate facts and myths about the smoking habit.
- Introduce sequential strategies to help patients quit smoking.
- Prepare health care professionals to establish smoking treatments.
Introduction
It has been estimated that there are over 400,000 excess deaths each year in the United States are directly caused by smoking (MMWR 1991). The mortality rates caused by cigarettes smoking are about 6 times that of alcohol (USDHHS 1989). In fact, the number of deaths each year related to smoking is greater than the combined number of deaths from alcohol, cocaine, heroin, suicide, homicide, motor-vehicle accidents, fires and AIDS.
The majority of smokers make an average of 4.3 yearly visits to their physician yet more than half of them report never being advised to quit smoking (Davis 1988). Further, most smokers cite health reasons as the number one reason for wanting to quit smoking. Ockene (1987) summarized seven clinical trials and concluded that physicians who intervene with their smoking patients make a statistically significant impact. In addition to physician contact, it has been suggested that motivating and assisting patients with quitting should involve the entire health care team (USDHHS 1990). Smokers routinely come into contact with nurses who make the single largest group of health care professionals available to patients. Respiratory therapists, physician assistants, occupational therapists, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists and substance abuse counselors are all in unique positions to help smokers quit.
It has been recommended that smoking be considered a new "vital sign" and stamped in the medical chart as a reminder to all health care professionals to inquire about smoking status along with blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory status, temperature and weight (Fiore, 1991). Inquiring about smoking at every office visit serves not only as a reminder to the clinician that care may need to be adjusted due to the smoking status of the patient but also sends the message to the patient that smoking is an important clinical issue. In addition, it is imperative that clinicians instruct patients to quit smoking. This may seem obvious, however, many patients report that their physicians never told them to quit smoking. Patients often then inappropriately infer that smoking is not a real concern for there health. It has also been found that many clinicians are not equipped with adequate information regarding smoking and the process of quitting. Take the following smoking quiz to test your knowledge about the smoking process. The quiz can also be used with patients to test their understanding about the smoking habit and can be used as a tool to initiate dialog about smoking.
Facts and Myths of Smoking
True/False
1) There are 40 known substances in cigarette smoke.
2) Smoking is the single major cause of fires in the United States.
3) Cigarette smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease.
4) Economic consequences of smoking include 16 million dollars in direct medical costs each year in the United States.
5) Physical withdrawal symptoms of nicotine last six months.
6) Most smokers gain a significant amount of weight after quitting smoking.
7) Nicotine is an addictive drug similar to heroin.
8) "Smoker's cough" is the body's way of healing itself.
9) Smokers need to smoke in large quantities for damage to occur.
10) Damage to the body due to cigarette smoke is always irreversible.
11) Most smokers quit smoking on their first attempt.
12) If you are not currently experiencing any medical problems, smoking is not physically harmful to you.
13) Children of smokers are at an increased risk for upper respiratory tract infections, middle ear infections, asthma, and tonsillitis.
14) There are no long-term effects of being exposed to cigarette smoke as a child.
15) It is not necessary to quit smoking completely when chewing gum or using a nicotine patch.
16) If you have not been smoking for several months it is safe to have an occasional cigarette.
17) Smoking can decrease the effectiveness of many drugs.
18) Smokers have twice the risk of developing infections after surgery when compared to non-smokers.
19) Smokers who quit smoking at least six months prior to surgery significantly decrease their chances for developing breathing complications.
20) The worst dental problems associated with smoking are bad breath and brown teeth.
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