Challenges and solutions to nicotine replacement therapy access: observations from SCIMITAR

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Research
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Smoking cessation is vital for physical and mental health.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend support, nicotine products, and cessation services.
• Reducing tobacco harm is a key public health objective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore challenges in accessing smoking cessation support, specifically nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
• To identify difficulties in NRT provision for patients with severe mental ill health.
• To suggest improvements for facilitating NRT access and provision.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the Smoking Cessation Intervention for Severe Mental Ill Health Trial (SCIMITAR+).
• Identification of barriers to NRT access and provision across various study settings.
• Collating strategies used to improve NRT facilitation.

Main Results:

• NRT access varied significantly across settings and was sometimes impossible for patients.
• Difficulties in accessing NRT were not exclusive to patients with severe mental ill health.
• NRT provision did not consistently adhere to NICE guidelines.

Conclusions:

• Smoking cessation support and NRT availability require clearer, simpler, and more accessible pathways.
• Improved accessibility of NRT is essential for increasing smoking cessation success rates.
• Addressing systemic barriers to NRT provision can enhance public health outcomes.