New report looks at GP prescribing practices and what they can do to support smoking cessation

Evidence released by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) recently showed a 75% decline in the number of stop smoking aids dispensed between 2005 and 2017. Following these latest stats ‘Practice Business’, who present information to aid practice managers and GP partners in their day-to-day roles, discuss what GP practices can do to support cessation and help to reduce smoking rates among their patient populations.

We know that GP practices play a pivotal role in motivating smokers to quit by providing information and advice about smoking cessation services. Patients presenting with health conditions which are caused or exacerbated by smoking should be helped by health professionals to identify the most appropriate support to help them to quit.

In the article, Practice Business also state that “National risk assessments should be used to identify people aged between 40 and 74 who are at risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of dementia, so that they can receive advice on achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and be referred to stop smoking support where relevant.”

 You can read the full article here.

Source: Practice Business, 20 August 2018