Tim Bradshaw and colleagues use case studies to show how a bespoke intervention, which is being trialled, can help service users quit their habit
The prevalence of smoking in people with serious mental illness is up to 5.3 times higher than in the general population and many die prematurely from smoking-related diseases.There is a need to develop effective, accessible, acceptable smoking cessation services that are tailored to this client group.
Scimitar is a flexible, bespoke intervention based on a traditional NHS smoking cessation model with a ‘cut down to quit’ option. Cultural factors in mental health services may still create barriers to service users giving up smoking, and all mental health nurses should be trained to provide smoking cessation advice as part of their routine preparation for practice.
Mental Health Practice. 17, 6, 14-20. doi: 10.7748/mhp2014.03.17.6.14.e890
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to double blind peer review
Conflict of interestFunding acknowledgement: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research [Health Technology Assessment programme] (project number 07/41/05) and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment later this year Department of Health disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Health Technology Assessment programme, NIHR, the NHS or the Department of Health
Received: 20 May 2013
Accepted: 23 August 2013
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