Helping patients stop smoking

As more patients seek treatment for nicotine addiction, physicians must become adept at counseling patients on how to quit. Several simple behavioral modification techniques are available to help patients stop smoking, and these techniques can be incorporated into any busy practice. Any patient encounter can be used to inform patients of the dangers of smoking and to tell them to quit. Patients can be offered nicotine replacement therapy, although the long-term benefit is still unknown. Helping patients to quit is a rewarding process.