SESSION

Friday, July 23, 2004: 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Evidence-Based Smoking Cessation: A Nursing Mandate

Learning Objective #1: Describe international tobacco prevalence, disease burden, and the mandate for global nursing action
Learning Objective #2: Describe evidence-based smoking cessation strategies worldwide, efficacy of nursing intervention, and barriers to clinical implementation
Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of preventable death and illness worldwide. Tobacco use is responsible for a large percentage of morbidity from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as several types of cancer; 10 million annual deaths due to tobacco are projected world-wide if action is not taken. Evidence-based smoking cessation guidelines have been published in a growing number of countries and support clinical interventions by a variety of health care professionals, including nurses. Nurses have tremendous potential to effectively implement smoking cessation interventions and advance the World Health Organization’s goals of reduction in tobacco use. However, the guidelines have not been adequately implemented in clinical practice. Research has identified a range of barriers to nursing involvement in tobacco control. Continued smoking by nursing professionals and lack of adequate knowledge and skills are the barriers most frequently associated with limited smoking cessation interventions provided by nurses in a variety clinical settings. Historically, in the United States, nurses have smoked at a higher rate than other health professionals. Nurses have contributed to the understanding of the devastating health effects of tobacco in women by their participation in the Nurses Health Study, however support for cessation among nurses has received minimal attention. This symposium will: 1) provide an overview of international nursing involvement in tobacco control, 2) address the state of the art of the scientific evidence about nursing interventions for smoking cessation, and 3) will present the preliminary results from two national initiatives, one in the United States and one in the United Kingdom, which aim at assisting nurses in quitting smoking and enhancing their skills as providers of cessation intervention. Participants will receive information and resources essential for increasing support for smoking cessation among nurses and patients, and for increasing nursing involvement in tobacco control to combat this worldwide epidemic.
Organizer:Linda Sarna, RN, DNSc
 Nurses and Smoking Cessation: State of the Art
Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD, MPH, Linda Sarna, RN, DNSc, Stella Aguinaga Bialous, PhD, BSN, MScN
 Nurses in the United States: Tobacco Free Nurses Initiative
Stella Aguinaga Bialous, PhD, BSN, MScN, Linda Sarna, RN, DNSc, Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD, MPH
 Nursing and Tobacco Control in the United Kingdom: Clearing the Air
Linda Sarna, RN, DNSc, Jennifer Percival, RGN, RM, RHV, Dip, Counseling

15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004