Iowa Quitline Fax Referral form
Here is some information for you to help your patients quit using tobacco:
The "5 A's" Counseling Method
An easy-to-implement, evidence-based clinical counseling approach, the "5 A's" can double or even triple quit rates among pregnant smokers. This approach has been published by the U. S. Public Health Service in its Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence Clinical Practice Guideline.
Studies show that a brief counseling intervention of 5-15 minutes, when delivered by a trained health care professional can double or, in some cases, triple smoking cessation rates.
The evidence-based intervention for providers to help their smokers quit is based on the following five steps (the "5 As"):
ASK (1 minute)
Ask patient about smoking status.
ADVISE (1 minute)
Provide clear, strong advice to quit with personalized messages about the impact of
smoking.
ASSESS (1 minute)
Assess the willingness of the patient to make a quit attempt within the next 30 days.
ASSIST (3 minutes +)
Suggest and encourage the use of problem-solving methods and skills for cessation.
Provide social support as part of the treatment.
Arrange social support in the smoker’s environment.
Provide smoking cessation materials. Call 1-866-822-6879 to order Iowa Quitline brochures.
Use the Iowa Quitline Fax Referral form. Iowa Quitline counselors will then call the patient at an agreed upon time to begin telecounseling.
ARRANGE (1 minute +)
Periodically assess smoking status and, if he or she is a continuing smoker, encourage cessation.
When the "5 A's" Approach Isn't Enough for pregnant women:
Pregnant smokers who are unable to quit with the help of the 5As may benefit from recommendations of the general PHS guideline. This guideline recommends intensive counseling from a provider with special training in the treatment of tobacco dependence; such intensive counseling might help heavily addicted smokers to quit. The guideline also advises providers to carefully consider use of medications used to treat tobacco dependence in other populations - nicotine replacement and bupropion - for pregnant women because they have not been tested for safety and efficacy among this population. Pharmacotherapies should be used only for pregnant women who smoke heavily and are unable to quit using counseling methods, and only when the potential benefits and likelihood of quitting are likely to outweigh the potential risks.
Source: http://www.smokefreefamilies.org/care_prof/method.asp
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