A hospital stay or interaction with a health service is a prime opportunity to help someone quit smoking. This Framework outlines how NSW local health districts (LHDs) can support health professionals to integrate quit support into routine care. Providing brief intervention for smoking cessation and the management of nicotine dependence is the responsibility of all NSW health professionals.
Smoking continues to be a leading cause of chronic disease and premature death in NSW.
The Framework sets out four implementation strategies, including suggested actions and success factors, to provide practical guidance on how to develop and implement smoking cessation interventions within local health services.
These strategies can be adapted to meet specific or local needs; in particular, to ensure appropriate community engagement for patients and clients from vulnerable and priority population groups.
Supporting LHDs to manage nicotine dependence among patients and to implement smoking cessations interventions.
Strong leadership and governance structures are key to promoting clinical practice change
Smoking cessation coordinators are used to deploy evidence-based smoking cessation systems of care
Identifying dedicated staff to implement smoking cessation interventions ensures clear roles and responsibilities
Collecting and using data informs and drives practice change, supports staff and establishes accountability
Effective smoking cessation interventions involve brief assessment and advice, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and referral to a smoking cessation service, such as the NSW Quitline. This kind of brief intervention is known as 'The 5As':
It is important for LHDs to make smoking cessation intervention part of treatment and care for all smokers.
"There is strong evidence that managing nictonie dependence and providing smoking cessation advice and support to clients who smoke is an effective smoking cessation strategy, relevant to all NSW Health Settings"
This document is a printable version of the NSW Smoking Cessation Framework.
This document is a printable version of the Framework on a page.
