What smokers really want – Smokefree Nurses campaign launches
Smokefree Nurses Aotearoa has launched a new campaign to aid nurses in helping patients quit smoking for good. Senior Lecturer Grace Wong has led development of the campaign, which is part of a Ministry of Health funded project to support the achievement of a Smokefree New Zealand by 2025.
“We all have an obligation to fight this addiction which kills 13 people a day – 5,000 people a year. But what’s been missing is the voices of the people who smoke themselves,” says Dr Wong, Director of Smokefree Nurses.
The campaign shares insights from smokers on the kind of support they find beneficial, through a series of videos. The video toolkit is designed to empower nurses, help them understand what smokers go through, and better equip nurses to assist smokers on their journey to stay smokefree.
The research of Smokefree Nurses has revealed that smokers want to be treated as real people, and receive genuine support as they try to beat their addiction. Smokers see nurses as a source of valuable input, but sometimes struggle to build a positive empathetic connection.
According to one smoker who features in the campaign, “I’m one of those people that needs support.”
Another smoker adds they would value receiving “…a whole smorgasbord of options that are going to be ideal for what kind of addict I am, to make myself the kind of quitter that I want to be.”
Alongside the candid views of real smokers are videos of smokers and nurses interacting, showing the rapport and style of interaction that can help smokers to quit. “The campaign showcases core nursing practice principles and recognises that nurses can make an enormous difference in helping smokers to quit and stay smokefree,” says Dr Wong.
Smokefree Nurses undertakes research and advocacy for the vital smoking cessation role that nurses play with their patients, and is supported by AUT University. “Nursing and the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences have hosted Smokefree Nurses Aotearoa since 2007 – an illustration of the University’s commitment to improving public health by supporting people to quit smoking,” says Dr Wong.
The Smokefree Nurses campaign launched on 23 October 2014. Although nurses are the campaign’s primary audience, the public can also view the videos online to help better appreciate the challenges faced by smokers – see www.whatsmokersreallywant.co.nz.