Part 3: The 5 Stages of Quitting

Your patient is not ready to quit.

Not concerned about smoking and the health effects.

What you can do:

Provide information about the health risks of smoking.

Your patient is unsure about quitting.

They are aware that they should quit and are seriously considering quitting soon.

What you can do:

Provide information about the health risks of smoking.

Reassure them that you are here to help when they decide.

Your patient is ready to quit, now or in the next 30 days.

What you can do:

Provide advice on NRT and other products that will help them.

Provide information on where they can get extra support, such as Quitline.

Your patient has stopped smoking in the last 6 months.

This is when the highest risk of relapse occurs

What you can do:

Congratulate them

Reinforce the benefits of quitting

Discuss relapse and their urge to smoke

Check they are using their NRT correctly

Suggest they wean down their use of NRT, if they are having less cravings to smoke.

Your patient stopped smoking over 6 months ago.

What you can do:

Congratulate them.

Reinforce the benefits of quitting.

Discuss relapse and their urge to smoke.

Check they are using their NRT correctly.

Suggest they slowly wean down their use of NRT to stop nicotine use entirely.