Introduction
Smoking is a significant public health issue worldwide and is a major risk factor for stroke, cancer, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, all of which pose serious threats to human life [
1‐
3]. According to the 2019 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are approximately 1.337 billion tobacco users aged 15 years or older globally [
4]. China has the largest number of smokers, with over 300 million [
5], followed by India with 276 million, Indonesia with 60 million, and the United States with 34.2 million [
6]. Tobacco use is responsible for more than 8 million deaths annually and incurs a global economic cost of $1.4 trillion per year [
4].
Fortunately, it has been confirmed that smoking cessation can significantly reduce the risk of death from chronic non-communicable diseases [
7‐
9]. While many smokers express a desire to quit smoking upon recognizing the dangers of tobacco use, they often struggle due to the psychological and physiological dependencies associated with addiction [
10]. However, research has demonstrated that support and assistance from healthcare professionals can substantially increase the likelihood of successful cessation [
11]. Nurses, as frontline clinical staff, have extensive contact with patients across various settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care [
12,
13], and constitute the largest proportion of healthcare workers available to support smoking cessation both with healthcare facilities and communities [
14,
15]. Evidence suggests that smoking cessation advice provided by nurses can improve smoking cessation rates [
16], as they can enhance the chances of smokers quitting through appropriate interventions and follow-up procedures [
17,
18]. Therefore, nurses play a crucial role in the success of smoking cessation programs and are uniquely positioned to provide valuable information and encouragement, potentially yielding better outcomes in smoking cessation compared to other healthcare professionals.
While most previous studies have focused on the effectiveness of specific intervention components or the contributions made by nurses in smoking cessation interventions [
11,
19,
20], few have explored the broader role of nurses in these efforts. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review to identify the specific interventions delivered by nurses and the roles they play in smoking cessation interventions. The goal is to develop a targeted, evidence-based approach to training nurses in smoking cessation, thereby enhancing their motivation and enthusiasm for assisting patients in quitting smoking.
Discussion
Our research suggested the critical role of nurses in assisting patients with smoking cessation. Nurses performed various roles during the smoking cessation intervention, including assessors, educators, practice facilitators, coordinating collaborators, organizers, and supervisors. They primarily promoted smoking cessation through the distribution of pamphlets, face-to-face education, and the provision of smoking cessation guidance. Motivation interview (MI) and 5A method were the most commonly utilized techniques for smoking cessation. The primary participants were patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Building on the previous systematic review by Rice et al., which examined the effectiveness of nursing-delivered smoking cessation interventions in adults and established the efficacy of nurse-led interventions in enhancing quit rates [
19], this scoping review extends the scope of investigation by exploring the specific strategies and roles undertaken by nurses in facilitating smoking cessation. It provides a more granular analysis of the diverse interventions employed by nurses, offering detailed insights and practical recommendations for optimizing clinical smoking cessation programs.
Among these numerous tasks, assessment was the most prevalent and was integrated throughout the process. Our review found that the two most common methods used by nurses during smoking cessation were MI and the 5A nursing interventions. The role of the nurse as an assessor is well-represented in both approaches. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a person-centered clinical approach aimed at increasing motivation for behavioral change and is frequently employed in addressing addictive behaviors. This method has demonstrated efficacy in modifying unhealthy habits, such as smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet [
75]. Research indicated that MI was also effective in primary care populations [
76]. In smoking cessation, nurses initially assessed patients’ motivation to quit and their stage of behavioral change, subsequently developing an appropriate cessation plan. The 5A Nursing Intervention method, recommended by the U.S. Public Health Agency as the gold standard for smoking cessation, comprises five steps: ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange. It is widely utilized in smoking cessation efforts [
77]. Nurses evaluated patients' smoking history and willingness to quit before implementing interventions. During follow-up, nurses evaluated patients' cessation progress, encountered difficulties, and effectiveness, adjusting plans and providing support as needed. One study suggests incorporating smoking and lifestyle risk assessments by registered nurses into outpatient health histories to enhance targeted smoking cessation programs [
78]. In the 5A nursing method, nurses also provide smoking cessation advice, assist in formulating cessation plans, set quit dates, offer nicotine replacement therapy, guide patients on cessation techniques, and encourage patients to sign a cessation pledge, significantly promoting the execution of smoking cessation actions. Thus, nurses also function as practice facilitators in promoting smoking cessation.
As educators, nurses help patients acquire knowledge and skills for smoking cessation, manage withdrawal symptoms, and prevent relapse through various educational methods to ensure smooth progress in cessation efforts. The study by Chaney also highlighted the vital role of nurse practitioners in delivering effective smoking cessation treatments and educating patients about the risks of smoking [
79]. However, the synthesis of 53 studies revealed that only a small proportion of nurses were trained in smoking cessation interventions. Many clinical nurses lack the necessary knowledge and skills to support patients in quitting smoking. Interviews with nurses disclosed a lack of confidence in providing smoking cessation support to patients, with some believing they lacked expertise or considered smoking cessation support to be outside their responsibilities [
80]. Implementing smoking cessation learning programs for healthcare providers can enhance their confidence in assisting patients to quit smoking [
81]. Research confirmed that patients receiving counseling from nurse practitioners, including brief counseling interventions, were nearly twice as likely to attempt quitting compared to those who did not receive such counseling [
82]. Therefore, improving smoking cessation training for nurses is crucial to equip them with confidence and knowledge to deliver effective smoking cessation interventions for patients. Smoking cessation education is also a key intervention. Hospitalization or post-illness periods represent optimal times to encourage patients to quit smoking [
83].
Nurses also serve as coordinating cooperators in smoking cessation interventions. Because some patients tend to trust doctors more than nurses, nurses often require physicians’ cooperation to implement smoking cessation interventions, such as requesting physicians to encourage patients to quit. Additionally, nurses frequently work with family members, asking them to support patients’ motivation to quit and create a favorable environment for cessation. Furthermore, nurses collaborate with smoking cessation organizations to refer patients to specialized facilities. Nurses also played a crucial role as organizers and supervisors in smoking cessation efforts. For example, they facilitated peer support groups where patients can share experiences and support each other, which has been shown to be effective [
84]. They also organized successful smoking cessation practitioners to deliver lectures and share their experiences, mobilizing patients' enthusiasm and motivation to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is challenging for many long-term smokers, who have poor self-control and often require supervision to succeed. Studies have shown that nurses supervise patients during hospital stays and follow up regularly post-discharge to encourage cessation, even involving patients' families in the supervision process.
In addition, limitations such as research funding and location have led many studies to rely on self-reported smoking cessation rates, which may be biased due to patient memory or false reporting, potentially resulting in inaccurate findings. Carbon monoxide (CO) levels in exhaled breath provide an objective measure of the smoking cessation status of patients. With the advancement of technology, the use of mobile breath sensors to monitor exhaled CO has become acceptable and can enhance motivation for quitting smoking, thereby improving cessation success rates [
85‐
88]. One study utilized a "Cure App Smoking Cessation" program, which included a smartphone app and web-based management software that allows healthcare workers to use mobile CO detectors to monitor patients’ cessation progress, thereby improving the effectiveness of smoking cessation treatment [
89]. Therefore, future studies should incorporate biochemical verification, such as using mobile CO detectors, to ensure accurate reporting of outcomes and enhance research quality.
Despite the important role nurses play in smoking cessation interventions and the variety of strategies they employ to help patients quit, several barriers exist that may hinder the effectiveness of these interventions and contribute to lower smoking cessation success rates. First, although national policies promoting smoking cessation and bans on smoking have been introduced, some health settings, such as psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes, are exempt from legislative smoking bans, which can impede nurses’ ability to implement smoking cessation interventions effectively [
90]. Additionally, Frazer et al. suggested that emergency departments could serve as advantageous settings for smoking cessation education, offering patients motivation, encouragement, and verbal support in response to self-reported smoking behavior [
90,
91]. However, this resource is underutilized, potentially leading to reduced patient engagement in smoking cessation efforts. Furthermore, nurses face several challenges in their smoking cessation practices, including limited time and knowledge [
92,
93]. High workloads in clinical environments often leave nurses with insufficient time for comprehensive counseling, with priority given to competing clinical tasks, and there is often a lack of knowledge about available smoking cessation services. Nurses generally inquire about smoking habits during initial consultations or before starting treatment but may not prioritize smoking cessation as a key focus, which can result in suboptimal outcomes for patients. Structural barriers within the smoking cessation system also exist, such as the lack of prescribing authority for nurses, leading to delays in obtaining pharmacological NRT prescriptions [
93]. These factors collectively contribute to the challenges nurses face in supporting patients to quit smoking and may explain why some individuals do not successfully quit. Therefore, future research should focus on developing targeted strategies to overcome these barriers, ensuring that nurses are better equipped and supported in their efforts to assist patients in quitting smoking.
The rise of big data presents new opportunities for implementing smoking cessation interventions through the Internet. The growth of mobile health (mHealth) has led to the development of chatbots to help patients quit smoking [
94], and there have even been studies on motivational interview-style robots to enhance patient motivation [
95]. Mobile app-based pharmacological interventions have also been shown to enhance smoking cessation effectiveness [
96]. Given the busy workload of clinical nurses, they have little time to specifically provide smoking cessation interventions to patients [
97]. In the future, it is crucial to leverage the Internet's potential and explore innovative methods to motivate patients to quit smoking. This approach would not only alleviate the workload of medical staff but also save time for both doctors and patients and reduce medical costs. Additionally, it is important to acknowledge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the scope of our review. Since our scoping review spans the COVID-19 period, many clinical trials, particularly those involving face-to-face smoking cessation interventions, may have been disrupted due to pandemic-related restrictions [
98]. The pandemic disrupted the continuity of interventions and data collection, and these disruptions likely contributed to the reduced number of eligible studies available for inclusion in our review. As a result, the overall pool of available evidence may not fully capture the specific smoking cessation interventions implemented by nurses and their roles during this period. Future research should explore how telehealth and digital interventions can overcome such barriers and continue to support smoking cessation efforts in the post-pandemic era.
Limitations
There are several limitations to this study. First, our participants were restricted to individuals with diseases. Whether in hospitals, communities or at home, these individuals may exhibit better adherence to smoking cessation efforts than the average smoker, as there is a stronger motivation to quit. Consequently, smoking cessation interventions might be more effective within this group. Besides patients with diseases, nurses also play an important role in the smoking cessation process for healthy individuals, such as social smokers and school adolescents. This aspect was not addressed in our study. To obtain more generalizable results, future studies should include a broader population beyond those with diseases. Second, in addition to the six roles we identified, another significant role of nurses in smoking cessation is that of the communicator. Effective communication is essential for nurses to implement various nursing measures. Only through communicating can nurses perform subsequent assessments, provide health education, and engage in other necessary tasks. Since communication was not explicitly included as a measure of smoking cessation interventions, this represents a limitation in our study. Besides, when guiding patients' families to supervise smoking cessation, nurses often function as both coordinating collaborators and supervisors. However, to avoid redundancy, we categorized them solely as supervisors in our analysis, which may not fully capture the complexity of their role. Third, while our scoping review provides a broad mapping of the evidence on nursing interventions in smoking cessation, it is important to note that the review is limited to the types of study designs included. Specifically, we included only interventional studies, such as randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies. This focus, while allowing for a detailed exploration of nursing interventions and roles, may limit the breadth of evidence on other aspects of smoking cessation interventions not covered by these study designs. Furthermore, since the scoping review aims to map the entire body of evidence regarding the primary roles of nurses in smoking cessation interventions, rather than to address specific narrow questions about intervention effectiveness, certain details on intervention effectiveness and comprehensive evaluation may not be fully addressed.
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