As front-line patient care providers, respiratory therapists are in a key position to help educate patients and their caregivers about the dangers of tobacco use. Partnering with the CDC Tips From Former Smokers campaign connects respiratory therapists to resources designed to help patients best understand what tobacco use can cause.
The campaign encourages respiratory therapists to play a larger role in helping their patients kick the habit.
At the core of the Tips campaign is a series of public service announcements featuring real former smokers talking about how smoking has impacted their lives — everyone from Terrie, who died at age 53 from smoking-related cancer, to the more hopeful Rebecca, a 57-year-old grandmother who suffered tooth loss and depression due to her smoking but successfully quit at age 53 and ran a 5K race six months later to celebrate.
Patient Smoking Cessation Tools for Respiratory Therapists
The Tips campaign consists of much more than just a series of videos. It offers clinicians just like you a wealth of resources you can put to work in your own programs to counsel patients about tobacco cessation. You’ll find fact sheets, FAQs, downloadable posters, videos, a quick reference guide to helping your patients quit, a community guide featuring a systematic review of interventions that work with specific types of smokers, and so much more.
The campaign kicked off on Apr. 1 and runs for 27 weeks. The main messages consist of building public awareness of the immediate health damage caused by smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. Messages also encourage smokers to quit by making free help available.
Looking for more?
Respiratory therapists should be able to understand tobacco addiction, how to effectively evaluate tobacco use, how to assess readiness to change and how to effectively treat tobacco addiction. Check Out the AARC Tobacco Resources
Email newsroom@aarc.org with questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you.
