Smoking

Most people who smoke visit their physician during a typical year. This presents an ideal opportunity for health care providers to intervene to prevent a behavior that can have a major adverse impact on health. Unfortunately, surveys have indicated that this opportunity is not being utilized. Approximately, one third of people who currently smoke reported never having been asked about their smoking status or urged to quit by health care providers. Given the fact that approximately 70% of people who smoke report a desire to quit using tobacco, it is clear that primary care practitioners can improve the health of their populations by improving the delivery of smoking cessation services.

In latest researches about smoking make recommendations for clinical interventions for tobacco cessation. The overarching message in the researches about quit smoking is that effective interventions for tobacco dependence are available and should be offered to every person who smokes. To accomplish this, “ it is essential that clinicians and health care delivery systems institutionalize the consistent identification, documentation and treatment of every tobacco user seen in a health care setting”. Psychologists can be instrumental in establishing a consistent method for providing smoking cessation assistance. Their role may include setting up a system for assessing smoking status and readiness to quit. Psychologists can use their expertise to teach physicians, nurses, medical technicians, and educators how to provide effective assistance to people who smoke. Additionally, they can provide direct interventions, especially to users of tobacco who are heavily dependent on smoking or who have not responded to other interventions.