Smoking Cessation Information for Health Professionals

The majority of people who smoke want to quit.

Talking with your patients about their smoking (including non-tobacco products), advising them to quit, and offering support, is effective in increasing quit attempts.

The following information and resources are for health care providers to assist patients who want to quit smoking:

  • Smoking Cessation Billing Codes: How do primary care physicians bill for cessation counseling? (Developed by Peel Public Health) One page information sheet on the use of cessation billing codes
  • You Can Make it Happen Website (Developed by Ontario’s Public Health Units, in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society Smokers’ Helpline)  Comprehensive smoking cessation resources to support health care providers in their client’s quit attempt, includes:
    • Information about training opportunities
    • Templates for assessment/screening
    • Pharmacotherapy guidelines
    • Brief intervention guidelines
    • Handouts/poster
  • Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (Developed by CAN-ADAPTT (Canadian Action Network for the Advancement, Dissemination and Adoption of Practice-informed Tobacco Treatment)  Guidelines include smoking cessation interventions for specific populations, including Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women.
  • Prevention of Gestational and Neonatal Exposure to Tobacco Smoke (PREGNETS) (CAMH PREGNETS was created with funding from Echo: Improving Women’s Health in Ontario, an agency of the MOHLTC) Includes:
    • information on smoking cessation practices for pregnant and postpartum women,
    • toolkit for health care providers,
    • anonymous online discussion board for patients
    • personalized plan for quitting or reducing smoking
  • Smokers’ Helpline Fax Referral Program (Canadian Cancer Society)  
    • Access to quit coach for patients who consent to counselling and follow-up by Smokers’ Helpline.
    • Eliminates the need for patients or clients to call Smokers’ Helpline, quit coach will contact the tobacco user to provide counselling

Legislation Information

Toronto Public Health:

TEACH: Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation and Health (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)  

  • Training to develop specialized knowledge and skills to deliver effective, evidence-based cessation intervention.
  • Prerequisite required: Tobacco and Public Health: From Theory to Practice
  • Application Information and Administrative Fee Policy

Time Commitment:

  • Core course: 3 days
  • TEACH Certification: additional 2 day specialty course required
  • Online: 5 weeks

Accreditation:

  • University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine
  • Canadian Addiction Counseling Certification Federation
  • Ontario College of Pharmacisits
  • College of Family Physicians of Canada (MAINPRO-C)

Modes of instruction:

  • In-class lectures + group interaction
  • Online

The Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation and Health (TEACH) project Lunch and Learn Seminar Series (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Free “standalone” Lunch and Learn monthly seminar series for Physicians, Family Health Teams and other Health/Allied Health Practitioners to enhance their knowledge and skills in offering cessation interventions.

You Can Make It Happen (Ontario’s Public Health Units, in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society Smokers’ Helpline) Comprehensive smoking cessation resources to support health care providers in their client’s quit attempt:

  • Information about training opportunities
  • Templates for assessment/screening
  • Pharmacotherapy guidelines
  • Brief intervention guidelines
  • Handouts/posters

Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation (OMSC) (University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO) and Pfizer Canada Inc.) Assistance for Family Health Teams or a Community Health Centres to build and implement a quit smoking strategy in your practice. The OMSC Primary Care team will:

  • Conduct an assessment of current practices and policies related to the systematic identification, documentation and treatment of people who smoke
  • Work in partnership with each clinic to create a customized plan for effective delivery of smoking cessation treatment
  • Provide training for staff
  • Provide OMSC materials
  • Provide telephone follow-up through OMSC Smoker’s Follow-up program
  • Maintain an on-going evaluation process

Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Program for Family Health Teams, Community Health Centres and Addictions Agencies (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Resource for Family Health Teams, Community Health Centres or Addictions agencies seeking publicly funded Nicotine Replacement Therapy for your patients and capacity building and training for your practice.

Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) Plan coverage of Champix® and Zyban® (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care (MOHLTC) Details about ODB coverage of varenicline (Champix®) and bupropion (Zyban®):  

  • Both medications were added to the ODB Formulary in August 2011.
  • Champix® and Zyban® will be covered for patients who are seniors (age 65+), in long term-care homes, or those on social assistance (welfare or because of disability).Both medications require a prescription (from a physician or pharmacist) and are best used with supportive counselling
  • The Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Program provides supportive counselling for ODB patients. It is not mandatory to be a part of this counselling program in order to access the ODB funded smoking cessation medications.

Non-Insured Health Benefits For First Nations and Inuit Populations: Pharmacy Provider Documentation (Express Scripts Canada) Instruction and application form for pharmacists to register in the Non-Insured Health Benefits for Eligible First Nations and Inuit Populations

Toronto Public Health STOP on the Road workshops (Toronto Public Health) Research-based, cost-free quit smoking workshops at various community locations in Toronto. Eligible participants will:

  • Attend an educational session
  • Receive a five-week course of nicotine patches

Smokers’ Helpline (Smokers’ Helpline, Canadian Cancer Society) Resource for patients who want tobacco use cessation counseling/support:

  • Online: 24/7 access to a supportive community and self-help program.
  • Phone: Call a quit coach for free, confidential, one-to-one support.
  • Translation services available in 100 languages.
  • Text: Text messaging support available on how to deal with cravings

Leave the Pack Behind (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care (MOHLTC) Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy for patients aged 18-29:

  • 8-week supply of patch or gum to be used according to package directions.
  • Age-tailored self-help smoking cessation resource
  • 8-weeks of support emails
  • Referral to the Canadian Cancer Society’s Smokers Helpline

Eligibility Criteria

  • Resident of Ontario aged 18 – 29 yrs
  • Not pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Not diagnosed with any medical condition listed on the product monograph
  • Smoke cigarettes daily or almost daily for the past 3 month

Health Effects of Waterpipe/Shisha Smoking (Toronto Public Health) Information for patients and the general public regarding the negative health effects of using a waterpipe/hookah to smoke both herbal and tobacco shisha.

Live Tobacco Free (Toronto Public Health) Information on:

  • Preventing tobacco use in youth
  • E-cigarettes
  • Smokeless tobacco products

Prevention of Gestational and Neonatal Exposure to Tobacco Smoke (PREGNETS) (Canadian Association of Mental Health (CAMH).

PREGNETS was created with funding from Echo: Improving Women’s Health in Ontario, an agency of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Information on smoking cessation practices for pregnant and postpartum women, anonymous online discussion board and a personalized plan for quitting or reducing smoking.

Smoking Cessation Program for Ontario Drug Benefit recipients (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care) Resource for Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) patients who would benefit from smoking cessation counseling from a pharmacist.

  • Community pharmacists are able to bill for providing smoking cessation services. This service is for eligible ODB recipients.
  • Patients may enroll once per year – if patient withdraws they must wait one year from initial enrollment date.

Smoking Cessation Resources for Specific Populations (CAMH) Resources for specific populations including:

  • Pregnant women
  • Indigenous populations
  • Those living with:
    • Mental illness and addictions
    • Chronic disease