Health care providers play an important role in promoting cessation. As a trusted source of health information, you can help your patients kick the habit for good by making them aware of the cessation resources and support available.

If you know your patient smokes, consider using these tips for a quick intervention:

• Encourage patients to call the Washington State Tobacco Quit Line toll-free at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669), or in Spanish, 1-877-2NO-FUME (3863).
• Fill out and fax back the Washington State Tobacco Quit Line fax referral. A quit coach will contact your patient to help that person quit smoking.
• Fax referral program overview
• Fax referral program FAQ
• Order quit line materials for patients, including reference cards and brochures, at www.prt.wa.gov.
• Direct patients to www.quitline.com for quit tips and useful information.

What your patient can expect when calling the quit line:
More than 80,000 Washingtonians have called the quit line for help, doubling their chance of quitting successfully. Let your patients know what to expect when they contact the quit line.

• Callers talk with a quit coach, someone who has experience helping others quit and may be an ex-smoker.
• Quit coaches provide helpful, easy-to-follow materials and advice that allow callers to take control of the quitting process.
• Quit coaches may recommend medications to aid the quit process, if appropriate. Medicaid recipients may also qualify for free nicotine replacement therapy.

Pregnant Women
If one of your patients is pregnant and smoking, please let her know that smoking while pregnant can hurt her baby, increasing the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), premature birth and respiratory diseases.

Here's what you can do to help your pregnant patient kick the habit for good:

• Talk with her about the health risks of smoking while pregnant for both mother and baby.
• Encourage her to call the toll-free Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) to talk with a quit coach who will help her develop her own plan to quit smoking. The quit line has a tailored protocol for pregnant women, which includes:
  • Customized counseling and quit materials
  • Nicotine replacement therapy upon physician approval
• Fill out and fax back the Washington State Tobacco Quit Line referral form for your patient. A quit coach will contact her to help her quit smoking.

Additional Resources

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tobacco/
• CDC Tobacco Information and Prevention Source page: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm
  

If you have questions regarding cessation initiatives, please e-mail Julie Thompson at juliet.thompson@doh.wa.gov.

A lot of times people don’t realize the complexity of quitting. I like to encourage people to call even if they’re not ready to quit because it’s really important to prepare in advance and to practice quitting until they’re ready to quit for good. Every caller is unique in his or her own way, and it’s so positive to hear from callers who have health issues and to see them making the positive step to leading a healthy lifestyle.