Text adapted in 2021 from Smoking Cessation in The Primary Care Addiction Toolkit (online only). A complete list of Toolkit authors, editors and contributors is available here.
The multiple, often catastrophic, adverse effects of smoking are well known. All patients who smoke should be encouraged to quit and offered support for quitting on every encounter with a health care provider. In most cases, helping patients to quit smoking will be the single most effective health intervention that health care providers can provide.
This toolkit provides practical information on screening, assessing and managing patients who are trying to quit smoking. It includes links to other professional resources, including best practice guidelines and patient information materials, including self-help resources.