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Smoking Cessation Treatment Plan

Student Name

Institution Affiliation

Course Name and Number

Professor’s Name

Due Date
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Smoking Cessation Treatment Plan

Introduction

In the United States, former smokers have surpassed current smokers. Surveillance

data collected at the national level on smoking cessation over the past decade has shown a

consistent pattern, albeit with slight progress: roughly two-thirds of all adult smokers show an

intention to quit, and a little more than half of them take the step to quit yearly; nonetheless,

fewer than 10% of cigarette smokers who make an attempt to quit are successful in

maintaining their abstinence for more than six months. Numerous studies show that using

more than one treatment to help people quit smoking significantly increases their chances of

success (Kock et al., 2019). Both accepted and experimental approaches to helping smokers

kick the habit are discussed in this paper. This paper also outlines a recommended treatment

to help a patient stop smoking. Several types of behavioural therapy, including one-on-one,

small-group, and large-group counselling, are currently available and supported by scientific

data as effective methods for helping people quit smoking.

Patient Evaluation

A patient's smoking history should always be collected as part of the admissions

interview. Every in-depth evaluation needs to factor in both subjective and objective

assessments of cigarette usage. A patient's lifetime cigarette consumption can be estimated

using their pack-year history, which is determined by multiplying the patient's average daily

pack consumption by the number of years they have smoked cigarettes (Johnson, 2004).

Cigarettes-related cancers have all been associated to increasing pack-year history,

suggesting that this information may be useful in assessing the existence and intensity of

smoking-related disorders such coronary artery disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease.
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The use of tobacco products can be linked to several aspects of the results of an

evaluation. Always check the mouth, gums, and mucous membranes while admitting a

patient and at regular intervals thereafter. Patients often have a distinct smell of tobacco on

their breath, fingers, and clothing. Lung auscultation may indicate abnormalities, such as a

lack of breath sounds or breath sounds that are out of sync with one another. Smokers appear

to have a raised resting pulse rate than non-smokers, as revealed by a cardiac exam. Skin

discoloration on the hands and face may be a result of smoking. Pulses in the extremities may

be weaker if patients smoke because of peripheral vascular disease. Hoarseness and a lowered

pitch in the voice are two side effects of smoking on a regular basis. Smokers also tend to

develop fine lines and wrinkles in the areas around their mouths.

Questions to ask during evaluation

For patients who aren't quite ready to quit just yet, a motivational intervention may be

just the ticket. Clinicians might use the "5 R's", that is, Risks, Relevance, Roadblocks,

Rewards, and Repetition—to encourage patients to think about making a quit attempt. Each

time an unmotivated patient interacts with a physician, the motivating intervention should be

restated. Tobacco smokers who have tried and failed to quit in the past should be reassured

that they are not alone.

1. Ask the patient to give specific reasons for why quitting is important to them.

2. Ask the patient to list any adverse effects the have experienced as a result of their

smoking.

3. Ask the patient to list some of the positive outcomes that could result from quitting

tobacco use.

4. Ask the patient to list any problems that could prevent them from giving up their

habit.
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Developing a Treatment Plan

Accurate comprehensive evaluation, effective treatment treatments, and familiarity

with the biopsychosocial aspects of tobacco dependence are necessary for successful

integration of tobacco use interventions into treatment regimens. Substance use disorders

should be diagnosed using DSM-V criteria, and subsequent treatment approaches should be

tailored to the patient's specific change readiness (Li et al., 2021). It is common for many

different therapy modalities and organizations to use the same problem statements, purpose

statements, objectives, and actions that make up a full treatment plan. Tobacco treatment

programs are likely to differ in the extent to which their therapies are unified.

Issues that may arise

 Counterproductive Treatment Plan

 Autonomic response coupled by an indistinct sense of discomfort or dread. Anxiety is

a common symptom of nicotine withdrawal.

 Lack of knowledge or understanding of the effects of smoking. The harmful effects of

tobacco smoking must be known by communities, families, and people alike.

 Problems with assessing stressors accurately, making effective choices among

rehearsed reactions, and/or making effective use of resources.

Interventions

Behavioral therapy are the most effective means of dealing with these problems.

Experts in the area of smoking cessation usually recommend a series of four to eight rounds

of behavioral counseling. Patients who use cessation drugs may also consider receiving

therapy, either in-person or over the phone. Counseling for quitting smoking can be done in a

number of different ways (Villanti et al., 2020).

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches patients how to recognize cues (such as

people, places, and things) that lead to relapse, and provides them with tools (such as

relaxation exercises) and methods for dealing with stressful situations and maintaining

abstinence from smoking (Villanti et al., 2020). Both cognitive behavioral therapy and

standard health education were found to be effective in reducing nicotine dependence in one

study.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a counseling technique used to increase patients'

drive to make positive lifestyle changes like stopping smoking. Providers in MI are patient-

centered and avoid being confrontational as they bring out areas of discord between the

patient's stated ideals and actions. They modify their approach to deal with patients'

unwillingness to change and encourage patients to have faith in their own abilities.

Mindfulness—In mindfulness-based treatments for quitting smoking, individuals

learn to become more self-aware and emotionally detached from the physical sensations,

thoughts, and desires that can re-trigger smoking (Villanti et al., 2020). The goal of this

treatment is to help patients see and accept the mental processes that lead to tobacco use

relapse. Patients are taught strategies for dealing with uncomfortable feelings, such as stress

and cravings, without relapsing into old habits like smoking or poor diet.

Patient Management Skills in the Treatment Plan

The four pillars of health education and promotion are: encouraging people with

nicotine addiction to quit, focusing prevention efforts on children and adolescents, urging

people to avoid being exposed to second-hand smoke in formal and informal settings, and

advocating for the regulation of tobacco products and public sentiment. Community and

hospital nurses, among others, are responsible for identifying and addressing communities'

and patients' unique educational gaps. Short-term and long-term approaches for quitting
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tobacco use and staying away from second-hand smoke should be tailored to each tobacco

user. Evaluating on a regular basis will reinforce the importance of quitting and will help

them get healthier.

Follow-up

It is not uncommon for people who have tried to quit smoking to relapse after making

initial progress. Numerous quick strategies are available to physicians to aid in the prevention

of relapse. Prior to trying to quit smoking, patients should be urged to at least become aware

of the situations and people in their lives that serve as cues and triggers for smoking, and to

formulate a plan for coping with those situations. Doctors should check in on their patients to

see how they're doing, offer their congratulations when they quit, and encourage them to keep

it up. Patients ought to be encouraged to talk about the health benefits of quitting smoking, as

well as their own personal experiences with quitting (such as how long they were able to

remain smoke-free and what they did to maintain their abstinence) and any difficulties they

encountered (such as negative emotions, irritability, alcohol, and other smokers) (Kock et al.,

2019). If a patient has relapsed, the doctor should discuss the causes of the relapse and try to

re-enlist the patient's support in the effort to stop smoking. It is also critical to schedule a

prompt follow-up appointment and to advise these patients on the correct use of medication.
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References
Johnson, N. W. (2004). The role of the dental team in tobacco cessation. European Journal

of Dental Education, 8, 18-24.

Kock, L., Brown, J., Hiscock, R., Tattan-Birch, H., Smith, C., & Shahab, L. (2019).

Individual-level behavioural smoking cessation interventions tailored for

disadvantaged socioeconomic position: a systematic review and meta-regression. The

Lancet Public Health, 4(12), e628-e644.

Li, M., Koide, K., Tanaka, M., Kiya, M., & Okamoto, R. (2021). Factors Associated with

Nursing Interventions for Smoking Cessation: A Narrative Review. Nursing

Reports, 11(1), 64-74.

Villanti, A. C., West, J. C., Klemperer, E. M., Graham, A. L., Mays, D., Mermelstein, R. J.,

& Higgins, S. T. (2020). Smoking-cessation interventions for US young adults:

updated systematic review. American journal of preventive medicine, 59(1), 123-136.