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Now that the roll-out of the
physician referral program to the Newfoundland and Labrador Lung
Association’s Smokers’ Helpline is complete, NLMA President Dr.
Andrew Major wants every doctor in the province to use the fax-back
forms to assist their patients who smoke to kick the habit.
The fax-back referral form,
which was piloted in March by 40 physicians from around the province
with great success, was mailed to every physician in Newfoundland
and Labrador in May. The joint NLMA-Lung Association effort is
expected to more than double the number of smokers who benefit from
the smoking cessation counseling offered through the Smokers’
Helpline.
The Smokers’ Helpline is
designed to help would-be quitters progress through the stages of
change identified in the trans-theoretical model of smoking
cessation (i.e., pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation,
action, and maintenance). Counselors provide follow-up support on a
weekly or bi-weekly basis as long as necessary.
“We know from studies done in
the United States that if a smoker is referred to a cessation
program by their physician, they are three times more likely to make
an effort to quit,” said Dr. Major. “In just the first few weeks of
our referral program, the number of smokers availing of the services
of the Smokers’ Helpline has increased significantly.”
Ms. Niki George, the Smokers’
Helpline Coordinator, said that since the program was launched at
the end of May, 61 physicians have made referrals and the number is
growing daily.
“In May alone, before our
program was fully rolled out, 55 of 101 smokers who received
counseling through the Helpline were referred by physicians,” said
Ms. George. “In the first 10 days of June, our counselors assisted
77 smokers, 46 of them from physician referrals. In just the first
few weeks of June this year we’ve already exceeded the number of
smokers we counseled in the whole month last year. We are very
optimistic that this program will double or even triple the number
of smokers seeking the services of the Helpline.”
The Lung Association has
increased the number of counselors on staff from five to seven,
adding a full-time counselor during the day just to manage the
physician referrals and providing additional coverage for evening
hours to handle the increased demand.
Counselors will contact patients
referred by physicians within two to three days of receiving the fax
referral. If they are unable to contact the patient within a week, a
letter will be sent to the patient encouraging them to call the
Helpline directly.
“We are very encouraged by the
early and positive response of our members to this program,” said
Dr. Major. “The physician referral program, which is a fax-back
program, was piloted last March and had a great response. We are
delighted to work with the Lung Association to deliver this program
to every physician in the province and to encourage our patients who
do smoke to use the Smokers’ Helpline.”
Smoking cessation is a common
goal of both the NLMA and the Lung Association. “We hope that our
joint efforts will assist in reducing the number of smokers in the
province and contribute to the improved health and well-being of our
patients,” said Dr. Major.
Physicians who refer patients to
the Helpline will receive regular reports on the number of referrals
and the number of patients participating in the smoking cessation
program. In addition, the NLMA will report to members quarterly on
the overall success of the program, including participation rates
and total number of referrals.
The Lung Association also plans
to recognize physicians who have made the most referrals during the
course of the year with awards to be presented at the NLMA annual
general meeting.
Additional support for people
trying to quit smoking is also offered through a new website the
Lung Association recently launched. The website (www.smokershelp.net)
offers online support for smokers, their families and all others who
are interested in living their lives without tobacco. The website
includes the most current resources, tips and techniques on how to
quit smoking effectively, a listing of community resources and
programs, an events calendar, and several chat forums for online
support. The Smokers’ Helpline toll-free number is 1-800-363-5864.
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