The role of pharmacists and counselors in smoking cessation

While one in 10 Britons have started or restarted smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic (report from University College London – UCL), according to a new study, one in five people who quit smoking tend to rely on the advice of their local pharmacist.

The role of health professionals and pharmacists in smoking cessation

Of smokers who had tried to quit smoking, 40 % did so on their own, while only 18 % used NHS services. Meanwhile, around 16 % of smokers surveyed in a Smoke Free study (a smoking cessation app) said they would first go to a pharmacy for advice on quitting smoking[1].

Indeed, healthcare professionals, and pharmacists in particular, can and should play a vital role throughout the quitting process. For example, it is stated that “given our expertise in pharmacology, as well as the potentially more frequent contact and face-to-face opportunities with patients […], we should, as pharmacists, consider ourselves in a unique position to help and support people who smoke to quit” [2].

At the origin of this study, an application accessible every day, day and night

Smoking cessation advice and support is therefore absolutely essential. In this sense, the Smoke Free app, which offers 24/7 access to smoking cessation advisors, has been downloaded five million times after two trials with over 90,000 participants proved that the app doubled quit rates. It was this app that led to the study that highlighted the figures cited above.

So, Dr David Crane, behavioural scientist and founder of the Smoke Free app says: “Help people quit smoking and we reduce demand on the NHS, now and in the future. We free up doctors and beds and allow money to be spent on other diseases. Even in a pandemic, smoking remains the world’s number one cause of preventable illness and death. People need help to quit smoking and apps provide that help to many people, at low cost and with great benefit [3] ».