Standardizing a transitions of care pharmacist workflow for tobacco cessation efforts

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Public Health
• Tobacco Cessation

Background:

• Smoking remains a primary cause of preventable mortality and morbidity.
• Pharmacists play a crucial role in smoking cessation through medication management, patient education, and follow-up care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a standardized transitions of care (TOC) pharmacist workflow for tobacco cessation at hospital discharge.
• To evaluate patient engagement, cessation success rates, and the pharmacist resources required for this service.

Main Methods:

• A standardized workflow was developed for TOC pharmacists to identify, assess, and counsel tobacco users, select pharmacotherapy, and provide post-discharge follow-up.
• A retrospective study analyzed adult patients receiving tobacco cessation support from TOC pharmacists between November 2021 and December 2022.

Main Results:

• Out of 357 assessed patients, 252 (70.6%) expressed interest in quitting smoking.
• Of those interested in follow-up, 73 patients (62.4%) completed at least one visit, and 26 (35.6%) achieved complete cessation.
• Patients not achieving complete cessation reduced tobacco use by an average of 39%.

Conclusions:

• A standardized and sustainable TOC pharmacist workflow was established.
• This workflow positively impacted tobacco cessation outcomes for patients engaged in the program.