Getting help to quit smoking doesn't have to happen at the health centre. A new UK study shows that the emergency department can be an unexpectedly effective place to kick-start a smoking cessation programme - especially when e-cigarettes are used as part of the treatment.
In the study Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department (COSTED) smokers who came to the emergency department were randomised into two groups. One group was simply given information on where to go to get help to quit. The other group was given something completely different: short on-site counselling, a starter kit of e-cigarettes and a referral to a stop-smoking centre.
When the researchers followed up the participants up to 18 months later, they found that the simple intervention in the emergency room had made a difference. Just over 13% of those who received e-cigarettes and counselling were smoke-free, compared to 8% in the control group - an increase of more than 50%.
These may sound like small numbers, but in the context of public health, it is a powerful result, say the researchers behind the study.
"For every thousand smokers reached, a dozen more can be made smoke-free - just by a quick intervention in the emergency room." the researchers write in their analysis.
The e-cig as a tool, not an enemy
The results stand out because e-cigarettes are often associated with controversy. Critics worry that they attract new users, but the study shows that they can also be a concrete and effective tool for smoking cessation - especially in situations where time and receptivity are limited.
The emergency department is not the place where you would expect a smoking cessation programme. But perhaps that is precisely why it works. An emergency room visit is often a wake-up call - a moment when people are more receptive to change. The researchers say that healthcare should capitalise on that moment.
"Offering an e-cig, a few minutes of counselling and a concrete way forward can be the start of a life without cigarettes." the researchers state in their analysis.
