Today is World No Tobacco Day. To mark the day this year, Respiratory Futures spoke to Dr Zaheer Mangera, Chair of the BTS Tobacco Dependency Specialist Advisory Group. In the following interview, Dr Mangera shares his thoughts on why treating tobacco dependency needs to remain a priority.
Dr Mangera, what are some of the tobacco-related respiratory health statistics across the four nations that we should be concerned about?
On this World Tobacco Day, I would like to reflect on how much work still needs to be done to transform the lives of those smokers admitted to hospital. This is a golden opportunity to intervene with smokers who are more enthusiastic than ever before in starting their quit journey, having had their own health brought into sharp focus. Up to 1 in 5 patients admitted to hospital are current smokers (BTS National Audit Report: Smoking Cessation 2021). Yet only a small proportion (1 in 10) are seen by a specialist tobacco dependency advisor. We know that hospital wide tobacco dependency interventions can work, for example in Manchester (CURE Project) 1 in 5 smokers had a sustained quit after 12 weeks. The case for intervention is unmistakable and all hospital trusts in England are currently working towards fulfilling one of the key goals of the NHS Long Term Plan – offering every smoker spending at least one night in hospital an evidence-based tobacco dependency intervention.
Why is treating tobacco dependency a priority area for BTS?
Treating tobacco dependency is at the very heart of BTS goal of helping to reduce health inequalities. It remains the single most preventable factor in the conditions our members treatment. Our members see first-hand both the devastation smoking inflicts on the lives of patients and their families and the barriers and difficulties our patients’ experience in stopping smoking. BTS has an essential role in ensuring the wider healthcare community is made aware that this is everybody’s business, not just those with a respiratory background and perhaps even more importantly challenging the nihilism that exists around supporting tobacco dependency, the notion that smokers don’t want to quit.
We are looking forward to publishing the first ever Clinical Statement on the medical management of treating tobacco dependency in the hospital setting, which will give our members the most up to date, evidence-based guidance on what works best.
What is BTS doing to contribute to treating tobacco dependency?
BTS has, over recent Summer and Winter meetings, put on an excellent array of sessions with vibrant speakers who have reminded the membership of how the landscape can be changed. By commissioning national audits in tobacco dependency services, BTS has provided a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the scale of the gaps in hospital services in supporting smokers on their quit journey. It has also partnered with NHS England in ensuring trusts are given access to a detailed repository of resources (www.respiratoryfutures.org.uk/programmes/tobacco-dependency-project/) that can show showcase the successes (and) other trusts have experienced. This has been supplemented by a series of webinars, giving members direct access to experts in the field who can help their trust’s tobacco dependency services get on the right track. Finally, we are looking forward to publishing the first ever Clinical Statement on the medical management of treating tobacco dependency in the hospital setting, which will give our members the most up to date, evidence-based guidance on what works best.
What are some ways respiratory professionals can get involved with the work BTS is doing, and how can they stay up to date?
- Each year spaces become available on the Tobacco Dependency Specialist Advisory Group and we look forward to welcoming new, enthusiastic and engaged members who want to support BTS.
- Sign up to the Respiratory Futures Tobacco Dependency newsletter. Respiratory Futures is always keen to share case studies and the learnings of those working in respiratory services so do email contact@respiratoryfutures.org.uk with your experiences.
- Book into the Treating Tobacco Dependence BTS short course taking place in December 2023.
- Make sure you visit our symposia and future Summer and Winter Meetings for all sessions on treating tobacco dependence.
We will continue to make sure tobacco dependency remains at the forefront of BTS!