A Quality Improvement Project: Using Evidence-Based Interventions for Smoking Cessation in Adults with Behavioral Health Conditions

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to implement a brief evidence-based smoking cessation intervention for smoking cessation in adults with behavioral health conditions.

Background: Over 40% of adults who smoke do not receive advice to quit from a healthcare professional, fewer than one in three adults who smoke use cessation counseling or FDA approved medications when trying to quit, and fewer than one in 10 U.S. adults successfully quit smoking each year. People with behavioral health conditions are not only more likely to smoke, but they also smoke more often than people with no mental illness and have an increased rate of relapse and cessation failure.
 

Methods: The Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavioral Change was used to educate about the effects of smoking, recommend changes in behavior, offer options for achieving behavioral change, help develop a plan and select smoking cessation strategies, and follow up to monitor and reinforce the behavioral change.
 

Results: The measurable outcomes showed 11% quit attempts in patients who benefit from nicotine replacement therapy and brief clinical intervention.
 

Conclusions: The quality improvement project integrated the brief smoking cessation intervention as an essential part of patient care. The 5A’s brief clinical intervention was an
effective way to identify smokers, start treatment, and provide resources for support.