Tobacco cessation: a manual for nurses, heealth workers and other health professionals

Abstract

Description: Tobacco Cessation: A Manual for Nurses, Health Workers and other Health Professionals is a comprehensive manual on tobacco cessation. It provides a detailed overview of the extent and patterns of use of tobacco products in the South-East Asia (‎SEA)‎ Region and the related health burden. Among the top 10 countries globally with the highest levels of tobacco use among males, as many as three are from the SEA Region. The Manual highlights the need to provide tobacco cessation interventions by nurses, health workers and other health professionals, and graphically depicts the adverse health effects of tobacco on almost all organs of the human body. In the section on interventions, the Manual reiterates that tobacco cessation efforts start with the successful identification of tobacco use. It provides effective tools and techniques for tobacco cessation interventions, including visits and follow-up of patients, listing of pros and cons, worksheets, group-based interventions and pharmacotherapy. Apart from the usual methods of cessation such as tapering off and abrupt cessation (‎'cold turkey')‎, the Manual also lists new and innovative interventions such as the 'Recovery Calendar'. Above all, the Manual highlights the importance of recognizing the dangerous effects of tobacco use, the benefits of quitting and the need to provide effective follow-up to prevent 'lapse' and 'relapse'. It includes a series of succinct, ready-to-use methods, counselling techniques and model motivational tools that can be practised by the health professional to promote tobacco cessation.