British Thoracic Society Clinical Statement unveils a new framework for clinicians, to help patients address their tobacco dependence during a hospital stay.

Tobacco dependency continues to be the largest avoidable cause of death across the UK, with many others suffering ill health from smoking-related diseases. To help address this, the British Thoracic Society (BTS) today publishes a Clinical Statement on the Medical Management of Inpatients with Tobacco Dependency. The goal of this document is to provide evidenced-based, practical advice for hospital clinicians to identify, initiate treatment and ensure specialist care for adult inpatients who are tobacco dependent.

The Clinical Statement includes six ‘building blocks’ that provide a pragmatic framework to help hospital clinicians create effective plans to treat tobacco dependency and deliver high quality patient care. Areas of focus of the framework are;

• Screening for tobacco dependence
• Advising on the role of nicotine
• Initiating combination NRT as soon as possible
• Completing a referral to an on-site tobacco dependency advisor
• Providing accurate and consistent information about vaping
• Offering and prescribing nicotine analogue medications

Many patients admitted to hospital for care are dependent on tobacco products, offering an important opportunity for clinical teams to deliver tobacco dependency interventions. Empowering all hospital clinicians across the multi-disciplinary team to proactively deliver these interventions may in turn greatly impact the future of patient health and behaviour change. Fostering an accurate understanding of the harms and benefits of vaping, as a tool to quit tobacco dependency is an important part of this, as misinformation and misunderstanding in this area remains prevalent. Ultimately, the goal is to make sure lifesaving tobacco dependency treatments are incorporated as a standard part of holistic care.

Professor Sanjay Agrawal, co-chair of the Clinical Statement Guideline Group, said,

“Addiction to tobacco is a condition that affects around a million people who are admitted to hospital each year. Treating tobacco dependency systematically, rapidly, and effectively should be a clinical standard of care in the same way as we look after people who are admitted with pneumonia, heart attacks or strokes. We hope this new clinical statement on the medical management of tobacco dependency will equip clinicians with the knowledge and confidence to break this lethal addiction.”

The implementation of this framework has the potential to not only add value through reducing morbidity and mortality rates for patients, but also cutting the financial burden of tobacco dependencies on their families. For commissioners, this Clinical Statement can be used to work toward a reduction of tobacco-related demand on healthcare services in the future.

On the Clinical Statement, Professor Jon Bennett, President of the British Thoracic Society said,

“This document provides vital information for all those working in secondary care. We need to build skills and confidence to help our colleagues across the hospital talk to people who smoke and provide up to date, evidence-based information about how their tobacco dependence can be treated. This shift in conversation is vital in helping to prioritise and raise the profile of treating tobacco dependence. Recording smoking status and then providing effective treatment and management needs to form part of every person’s in-patient stay.”

Access the Clinical Statement here.