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Presenter(s)
Dr Alex Bobak GP and GPSI in Smoking Cessation, Wandsworth Medical Centre, London
Abstract
Advice on stopping smoking, especially from a GP, is known to be one of the most important triggers for a quit attempt. But in consultations advice is often either not given or ineffective due to lack of time or poor understanding of how to advise smokers.
We now know the traditional “advice to stop” does not trigger many quit attempts, while a recent review of trials has shown that offer of help is much more effective.
‘Very Brief Advice’ or ‘VBA’ has been designed to give the most effective advice opportunistically in almost any consultation in less than 30 seconds.
The three elements of VBA are:
• Establish and record smoking status
• Advise how to stop
• Offer support and treatment
It is important to remember that the purpose of VBA is to engage smokers in a supported quit attempt with a trained advisor, it is not a stop smoking consultation in itself. For this reason it saves time and possible conflict by deliberately not asking how much they smoke or even if they want to stop. This and the practical use of VBA is explained in an online training module produced by the NCSCT and available at www.ncsct.co.uk/vba
The presentation will report on usage of the module and announce an exciting collaboration to encourage its use by GPs.
Source of funding: NCSCT
Declaration of interest: Dr Bobak has received sponsorship to attend scientific meetings, speaker honorariums and consultancy fees from Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Glaxo Smith Kline, Novartis and Pfizer.
