Pharmacists

Are pharmacists reducing COPD'S impact through smoking cessation and assessing inhaled steroid use?

The survey explored the degree to which community pharmacists in North West England identify and provide advice to smokers and assess prescribed inhaled corticosteroids among COPD patients. Pharmacists with more than 20 years experience were more likely to have read the Guideline compared to pharmacists with 10 years or less.

Collective prescription : start nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

This form allows community pharmacists in the Montreal region to write a collective prescription for nicotine replacement therapy for individuals who would like to quit smoking. The pharmacist can also refer the patient for follow-up to a Quit Smoking Centre or the J'Arrête help line.

Evaluating pharmacists' ability to counsel on tobacco cessation using two standardized patient scenarios

Pharmacists performed two role-playing scenarios which incorporated national guidelines, the 5A's counseling process, and the "preparation" and "action" phases of the transtheoretical model. Role-playing facilitated pharmacists' skill development. The evaluation tool and Action Scenario may be powerful for predicting pharmacists' delivery of tobacco cessation services.

Tobacco cessation resource center

Pharmacists can and should play a critical role in efforts to minimize and eliminate the use of tobacco by their patients. This resource center is intended to provide pharmacists with information, tools, and resources to assist in those efforts.

Kentucky pharmacists' opinions and practices related to the sale of cigarettes and alcohol in pharmacies

This survey of pharmacists in Kentucky examines their opinions on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes in pharmacies, and compares the results to a previous study in Indiana. While 45% of pharmacists sell cigarettes, 88% feel that their stores should not sell them.

One-Year outcomes and a cost-effectiveness analysis for smokers accessing group-based and pharmacy-led cessation services

Individuals received 7 weeks of group-based therapy or up to 12 weeks of individual counselling with a pharmacist. Although the group-based therapy attained a higher cessation rate, it was more intensive and expensive than the individual counselling. Also, the rate of carbon-monoxide-validated cessation for both services decreased at the one-year follow-up.

Preparing pharmacy students and pharmacists to provide tobacco cessation counselling

The author discusses a curriculum for cessation counselling that has been developed at a pharmacy school in the United States and disseminated to other pharmacy schools. The Rx for Change programs has been well-received by pharmacy schools and most current pharmacy students have received the education and skills.

Effectiveness of pharmacist counseling combined with nicotine replacement therapy : a pragmatic randomized trial with 6,987 smokers

This Canadian study assessed three sessions of pharmacist counselling with one session along with five weeks of nicotine replacement therapy on cessation rates. Nearly half of those in the group with the three counselling sessions completed all three sessions. They also had significantly higher quit rates than the individuals with just one session.

Effect of a tobacco cessation continuing professional education program on pharmacists' confidence, skills, and practice-change behaviors

This continuing education training program included both live training and home study. Self-efficacy and perceived capability to counsel patients increased significantly after the completing the combined program. Also, 92% received a passing knowledge score, 75% tried to develop a cessation service, and more than 50% helped patients up to 1 year after training.

Implementing a referral to telephone tobacco cessation services in Louisiana community pharmacies : a pilot study

Nine pharmacists from across Louisana implemented the “Ask-Advise-Refer” model. Over six months, 5,429 patients were asked about tobacco addiction. Of those patients, 657 patients self-identified as tobacco dependent; 478 were not ready to quit smoking; 179 were ready to quit smoking within the next month, and 169 were referred to telephone counseling.

ASHP therapeutic position statement on smoking cessation

This therapeutic position statement on smoking cessation from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) states that pharmacists should actively promote smoking cessation and discourages tobacco sales by pharmacists and pharmacies.

Community pharmacists' involvement in smoking cessation : implementation of the national smoking cessation guideline in Finland

Purpose of this study was to explore the implementation of the national smoking cessation guideline in Finnish community pharmacies, factors related to familiarity with it and its implementation, and actions taken to provide smoking cessation services.

Promoting cessation and a tobacco free future : willingness of pharmacy students at the University of Lagos, Nigeria

Students completed questionnaires ascertaining their knowledge of tobacco and their attitudes towards smoking policy, evaluating their smoking behaviour, and determining their interest in participating in smoking cessation. Few were aware of the WHO FCTC global tobacco treaty (9.3%); however, there was consensus that pharmacists and pharmacy students should participate in smoking cessation (93.1%) and most were interested in assisting those who smoke to quit smoking (85.9%).

A tailored intervention to support pharmacy-based counseling for smoking cessation

Analyzes a computer software system called "Exper_Quit" (EQ) that offers customized interventions to patients who smoke along and help pharmacists tailor cessation counselling. At six months, participants in the EQ and EQ+ participants were more likely to have received cessation counselling from a pharmacist, made a quit attempt, and had higher quit rates.

Effective clinical tobacco intervention

An overview of non-drug and pharmacological interventions physicians can use to treat tobacco dependent patients.

Training pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in the stage-of-change model of smoking cessation : a randomised controlled trial in Scotland

Evaluated a training workshop for community pharmacy personnel to improve their counselling in smoking cessation, based on the stages of change model. A randomized controlled trial was conducted among pharmacists and pharmacy customers in Grampian, Scotland. The workshop was concluded to be associated with increased and more highly-rated counselling, and a trend towards higher cessation rates.

Implementing disease management in community pharmacy practice

Discusses the disease management approach to preventing and treating disease, and how this differs from pharmaceutical care. An example of a disease management program, a smoking cessation program implemented in a national pharmacy chain, is discussed. Also includes ways to implement a disease management program in a community pharmacy practice.

Professional intervention for smoking cessation : the contribution of the pharmacist

Health care provider intervention, even if very brief, can benefit smoking cessation. The National Smoking Cessation Certification Programme was established to combat the barriers pharmacists’ face for offering helpful advice. It seeks to provide effective training and addresses the adverse health effects of smoking, stages of quitting, obstacles to quitting smoking, cognitive and behavioural coping techniques, cessation pharmacology, and the difficulties of smoker behaviour.

An evaluation of smoking cessation : related activities by pharmacists

This article examines initiatives undertaken by pharmacists to deliver cessation information and the possible barriers to this type of intervention.

Partnership to assist with cessation of tobacco (PACT)

Pharmacists in Saskatchewan are offering free smoking cessation counselling and support for those who want to quit smoking. This can include evaluating readiness to quit smoking, offering suggestions on which medications to take, providing guidance through the quitting process, and offering continued encouragement.