Understanding The Processes Of Gathering Evidence And Decision Making

The initial phase of the self-directed intervention consisted of baseline measurement of smoking behaviour. Baseline data was collected for a period of 7 weeks and a functional assessment was completed during this time. Upon starting the intervention phase, the final target behaviour of smoking cessation was broken down into smaller, short-term objectives lasting 2 weeks each.

The smoking cessation was witnessed by the author throughout her placement. This was used on a daily basis in the community by district nurses, health visitors, but especially by the general practice nurses as being incorporated in each consultation in the form of advices, leaflets, smoking cessation programs including medication and follow-ups.

Quitting rates of participants who are unwilling to stop smoking at all using electronic cigarettes shows how much of an effective cessation method they are. For nicotine replacement therapy to work, smokers would have to volunteer to quit and seek help, while with electronic cigarettes cessation just happens.

Of the roughly 42 million adults in the US that use tobacco, nearly 69% of smokers want to quit and more than 42% of those wishing to quit will make the attempt through various methods(1). These methods range from the "cold turkey" method, nicotine replacement therapy, behavioural therapy and even medicine. Each method has it's unique strengths and weaknesses as well as varying success rates. There are many reasons to quit and many ways in which to do so, either with methods that involve slowly weaning off of nicotine, like gums and patches from replacement therapy, to nicotine-free methods which require support from various sources.

Without a smoking cessation program, only four to seven percent of those attempting to quit will succeed. With the aid of a smoking cessation program, the results may increase. (Leif Associates, Inc.)

In the study, 787 smokers in Massachusetts were tracked after they quit smoking for five years. During that time, they answered three surveys about their smoking use. With each survey, an

PATIENT ASSESSMENT The case study patient is a 41 year old female, originally from Nebraska, where her family still resides. She currently works part-time and just recently started going back to college part-time for drug counseling. The patient’s interest in drug counseling is from past recreational drug and tobacco use for over 25

Egan's also goes on to explain that during smoking cessation a RT could follow the 5 A's, of smoking cessation “Ask if they are smoking, Advise to quit, Assess willingness to quit, Assist by providing a plan, Arrange a follow-up” (Kacmarek et al. 523). The Therapists role now begins to get further involved with the patient, and progresses to shift from educating the patient to counseling the patient. Thus building rapport with the patient and further reinforcing the idea of quitting

Smoking cessation: The status is uncontrolled and patient is willing to try to quit smoking.

Breaking the addiction to smoking is never an easy task. There are so many excuses for not quitting while conversely there are just as many justifications to quit. However, whereas some may quit successfully boasting of awe-inspiring feats of willpower others may find that they remain stuck in a continual fluctuation struggling to break the addiction with a self imposed evil that seems almost inescapable.

Mindfulness training for smoking cessation hypothesizes several interrelated therapeutic mechanisms; regulating attention, developing an attitude of acceptance and non-judgement, and developing a specific set of meta-cognitive skills characterized by the ability to observe and discriminate one’s inner experience of thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, with a sense of composure (Khanna & Greeson, 2013). Together, these skills and perspectives are expected to facilitate smokers through the process of quitting, by helping them decrease avoidance, tolerate unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, and unlearn highly conditioned stimulus. A recently published trial on a group of 88 smokers found that eight sessions of mindfulness training, delivered twice per week over four weeks, resulted in greater reduction in cigarette use compared to the widely used American Lung Association Freedom from Smoking program, with a significantly better abstinence rate 17 weeks after the training ended (Khanna & Greeson,

The evidence suggests that many smokers want to quit but can’t. In 2010 68.8% of smokers reported they would like to quit smoking entirely

The first participants Vince, 21 from Romania between smoked 15-20 cigarettes a day. Since completing the study, Vince is the only one to have quit

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or 1 of every five deaths. In 2015, about 15 of every 100 U.S. adults age 18 years or older currently smoke cigarettes. However, this is a decline from nearly 21 of every 100 adults back in 2005. One reason for the decline is due to smoking cessation programs developed within our communities. These programs are helping smokers to quit their habit, and improve their health and lifestyle. Let us look at what it takes to make a smoke cessation successful within ones’ community.

Prochaska & DiClemente. (1983). Stages and Processes of Self-Change of Smoking. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 390-395.