Smoking Cessation Guidelines

Question:
What are the updated guidelines for smoking cessation according to the surgeon general?

Answer:
Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher released guidelines intended to show doctors and smokers how to quit successfully. The report identified the various therapies -- including drugs, nicotine gum, patches, inhalers and counseling -- that can help smokers kick the habit. The treatment recommendations outlined in the PHS Guideline that we are releasing today will substantially increase the success rate. In fact, if every doctor, nurse, dentist, or other health care provider and health plan uses this tool in practice across America, we can double quit rates, from one to at least two million new quitters each year. The impact of an extra one million quitters will quickly translate into improvements in health, freeing them from an addiction that dictates how they live, and in many instances, how they die. These improvements will touch families across America. Findings include: Multiple efficacious treatments exist, these treatments can double or triple the likelihood of long-term cessation, many cessation treatments are appropriate for primary care settings, and the use and impact of cessation treatments can be increased by supportive health system policies.