Tobacco control and the nursing profession.

摘要

The importance of tobacco control cannot be underestimated. Tobacco use is the second major cause of death and the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide (WHO, 2009a). There are currently 1 billion smokers on the planet, of whom up to half will die eventually from a tobacco-related illness (ICN, 2009). Nurses occupy a vitally important position in tobacco control and can make a real difference in the reduction of community smoking rates (Froelicher & Kohlman, 2005). Nurses are at the forefront of prevention and are uniquely positioned to enhance cessation strategies (ICN, 2009). There are a few reasons for this. First, although all health professionals have an important role to play in tobacco control (WHO, 2009b), nurses represent the largest constituent of the global health-care labour force (Halcomb, 2005). There are at least 17 million nurses worldwide (Sarna et al., 2009a) and, being the largest professional group of health-care workers, they are the most likely to encounter smokers in daily practice. Second, nurses have regular and close contact with patients, a situation that affords a continuous opportunity to not only detect which patients might be smokers and to whom quitting advice could be directed, but also to provide follow-up counseling and support to those who are trying to quit. Third, nurses are on the frontline of primary health care and are well positioned to intervene with patients at various life stages. Fourth, nurses are well respected by their patients and represent a trusted source of health-care advice for the public (Lally et al, 2008). Indeed, many smokers inevitably will turn to the nursing profession for smoking-related advice (Charlton et al., 1997). Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, research has shown that tobacco cessation activities can be effectively provided by the nursing profession (Rice & Stead, 2008).