Clinical Practice Guidelines - Best Practices

70 % of Smokers want to Quit.  7% of Smokers achieve long-term abstinence on their own.  With physician assistance, this can increase to 30%.   

Public Health Service -Sponsored Clinical Practice Guideline—Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update

Tobacco is the single greatest cause of disease and premature death in America today, and is responsible for more than 435,000 deaths annually. About 20 percent of adult Americans currently smoke, and 4,000 children and adolescents smoke their first cigarette each day. The societal costs of tobacco-related death and disease approach $96 billion annually in medical expenses and $97 billion in lost productivity. However, more than 70 percent of all current smokers have expressed a desire to stop smoking; if they successfully quit, the result will be both immediate and long-term health improvements. Clinicians have a vital role to play in helping smokers quit.

The analyses within the Clinical Practice Guideline Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update demonstrated that efficacious treatments for tobacco users exist and should become a part of standard care giving. Research also shows that delivering such treatments is cost-effective.

In summary, the treatment of tobacco use and dependence presents the best and most cost-effective opportunity for clinicians to improve the lives of millions of Americans nationwide.

Click here for more information and resources

http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tobacco/tobaqrg.htm#Purpose

http://talktoyourpatients.org/