Smoking and How to Quit - Assignment Example

SMOKING AND HOW TO QUIT Date: Nicotine use cessation Introduction Evidence based practice is very important in the research of smoking cessation methods. Every research must be supported by some form of good evidence. In the topic under discussion it will be best to follow some guidelines and procedures to help in gathering good information. Evidence based practice uses the 6s model which is hierarchical in nature and constitutes; Original studies, involves what was done in one study. Synopses of studies which involves succinct descriptions of original studies. Syntheses which is about systematic reviews of literature. Synopses of syntheses and is about succinct description of systematic reviews. Summaries which is similar to a textbook chapter with a broad based summary of a content area. Systems represent integrated decision support systems that provide evidence and an action to be taken, an example is expert systems. Research work PICO format which means (The Population, intervention, comparison, outcome) can be used to formulate answerable clinical questions for research work. These clinical questions are very useful in finding the best information based on the patient .Here are some examples; In pregnant women addicted to nicotine is nicotine replacement therapy more effective than non medical therapy for smoking cessation? (Illes, 2012). In long term smokers is nicotine replacement more effective than non medical therapy for smoking cessation? Is quitting smoking easier when one is at a younger age than at an older age? . Gathering Evidence Gathering evidence can be time consuming and hectic if the researcher is not well guided on how to do it. Different patients require different study designs and methods of gathering evidence. Finding research evidence can be undertaken by using the 7 levels study types for evidence based research. They include; Randomized control trials. N-of-1 randomized trial. Cohort which is an observational study. Case control which is also an observational study. cross sectional where comparison between an established test and a new candidate test are made, Qualitative trial. Case series which gives rise to questions that need one of the higher levels of study designs to answer. This study relies heavily on randomized control trial where by smokers are randomized into different groups and each group receives a different treatment. At the end of the trial the effects of the different treatments are measured. This helps to compare and decide on which treatment is the best. Decision making process The evidence types found could be referred to other health professionals especially those pertaining to physical health and their professional opinions could be used in determining the best smoking cessation methods. Mostly the evidence found using systems research and summaries is usually very conclusive and could be used in determining the best nicotine usage cessation techniques. Extensive studies conducted could gather a lot of data concerning how many people have successfully managed to quit in a number of therapy clinics and which methods best worked for them. Some health team members that could be referred to with this evidence include; cardiologists, psychologists, pulmonologists, probation workers, dermatologist, opticians and nephrologists (Funnel, 2008). These health professionals once they access the clinic system and analyze the data that has been collected will be able to give their professional opinion about the best quitting technique. Involving the Patient and Family Patients need to consult with their family members so that they can help in deciding which is the best method for smoking cessation, based on the evidence type used in research (Boyle, 2010). Involving the patient’s family members is important because it will help the patient to get moral support from family members and also they will feel like they are not alone in that struggle, hence be motivated to fight the addiction. Knowing that someone cares and that there are people behind them can help a recovering smoker to feel strong mentally and have the strength to overcome the addiction since they already know that some one believes in them and their possible recovery, hence deciding on the best recovery method. Conclusion Quitting smoking can be a very stressing period for a smoker, but prolonged therapy and abstinence will eventually lead to success. Research evidence can be gotten from the internet using the 6 s pyramid and it could prove very helpful. A lot of research has been conducted concerning smoking and its side effects and most of these have been discovered to be very harmful to the smoker’s health. First of all it is up to the smoker to make the main decision to quit the habit which marks the most important step in the recovery process. Once the decision is made, only then can the best method be chosen to go about it. The recovering patient together with the therapist or nurse will have to work together in determining the best remedy or combination of remedies to stop smoking. All the same it is very possible to stop smoking completely and this has already been proven by former smokers who have successfully done it. Time is a major factor in the quitting process but with a lot of discipline success can be achieved. Smoking is a terrible habit to start and it is always better not to start rather than finding a way to stop. Prevention is better than cure (Tabbner, 2008). References Berry, T. M., & Springhouse Corporation (2001). Nursing nonprescription drug handbook. Springhouse, Pa: Springhouse. Britt, H., Family Medicine Research Centre, University of Sydney, & BEACH (Program) (2012). General practice activity in Australia 2011-12: BEACH, Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health. Sydney: Sydney University Press. Browning, C., & Thomas, S. A. (2005). Behavioural change: An evidence-based handbook for social and public health. Edinburgh: Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone. Bryant, B. J., Knights, K. M., & Salerno, E. (2010). Pharmacology for health professionals. Chatswood, N.S.W: Elsevier Australia. International Congress on the Pharmacology (1988). The pharmacology of nicotine: Proceedings, Satellite Symposium of the. . ., Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, September 4-6, 1987. Oxford: IRL Press. Koutoukidis, G., Lawrence, K., & Tabbner, A. R. (2008). Tabbners nursing care: Theory and practice. Chatswood, N.S.W: Elsevier Australia. Llewellyn, M., & Mylne, L. (2008). Australia for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub. Pates, R., & Riley, D. M. (2010). Interventions for amphetamine misuse. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. Read More