Smoking Cessation Assistance: Nurses’ Challenging Roles

Abstract

Non-communicable disease (NCD) patients are increasing in the global health system. Smoking is a factor that causes NCDs. When the body is exposed to cigarette smoke, it gets toxins such as nicotine, tar, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, etc. These toxins cause NCDs especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus. Each year, the public sector needs to afford a big expense for care of smoking-related NCD patients. Nurses, as healthcare personnel in healthcare system, should realize the dangers of smoking and play an important role in smoking cessation assistance in order to reduce the illness, complications, and disabilities among people. In addition, nurses need to provide health knowledge regarding the disadvantage of smoking in order to avert the new smokers. The principle that nurses should apply for smoking cessation assistance is the 5A 5R principle: the 5A principle includes Ask, Assess, Advise, Assist, and Arrange to follow up; and the 5R principle consists of Relevant, Risk, Reward, Roadblock, and Repetition. However, the smoking cessation assistance approach should be suitable for the readiness level to quit smoking of the individual.