The QEII Pharmacy team is flipping the script on smoking and vaping cessation for countless patients preparing for surgery, with the implementation of two initiatives that light the path to successful cessation.
Leading the charge is QEII Advanced Pharmacist Deepali Gupta (right), who brings nearly two decades of expertise in cardiac and bariatric pharmacy to her role as Co-Chair of the statewide Smoking Cessation Working Group.
With input from specialists in pharmacy, nursing, medical, and Quitline representatives, the subgroup set to work from mid-2023 developing Queensland’s first vaping cessation guidelines.
While smoking cessation guidelines are well-established, Deepali says developing a tailored expert guide on vaping cessation fills a resource gap, empowering clinicians with the best-practice tools and language to effectively support patients seeking support for vaping cessation.
“While we don’t yet know the full extent of the short and long-term health implications of vaping, the current advice from Queensland Health says that all patients should stop smoking or vaping before any surgical procedure,” she explained.
“There’s a lot of stigma around smoking and vaping dependence, and sometimes people may hide that information from clinicians because of it. We know smokers have a much higher chance of complications during and after surgery, and we need to assess that risk.
“If the clinician knows how to ask the right questions in a non-judgmental way, it’s more likely that the patient will be open about it, and we can better assess and help them.”
Working through various iterations and legislative changes, the group’s tireless efforts brought Queensland’s first complete E-cigarette and Vaping Cessation Guide to fruition in November 2024.
The guidelines reinforce QEII’s Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Clinic’s broader efforts to support patients through smoking and vaping cessation.
In collaboration with the QEII Physiotherapy Department, Deepali led the implementation of QEII’s Smoking Cessation Clinic, which is run by QEII Pharmacist Mumtaz Ally (left).
Boasting a quit rate of over 70 per cent, the clinic runs an intensive cessation program that provides patients with clinical and therapeutical supports to patients ahead of planned surgery.
Mumtaz says the proof is in the patients’ feedback, who report remarkable improvements in overall health while many are reaching their smoking and vaping cessation goals in just eight to twelve weeks.
“The average age of our patients is around the 60-year-old mark, and many of them have been smoking for decades. They’ll come in on their first day feeling apprehensive and scared because they don’t think it’s possible for them to stop. It’s very rewarding to see how that change has impacted them and to be able to see them through to the end of their journey, just a few weeks later,” said Mumtaz.
With referrals pouring in from QEII’s Conservative Musculoskeletal Clinic, Cardiac Clinic, and the Outpatient Orthopaedic clinics, Mumtaz provides intensive quit support with patients returning for weekly visits early in their quitting journey to deliver a tailored smoking and vaping cessation program.
With an overwhelmingly positive response from patients who have completed the program, Mumtaz looks forward to supporting more patients reach their cessation goals each year.
“Our patients will often say they can't believe they were able to do this, and it was much easier than they ever anticipated in the beginning. Their mood, demeanour and physical appearance change so much from the beginning to the end. Just from talking to them, we can gauge how much brighter and healthier they look and how much easier they're breathing, which is really rewarding. I love working at the clinic because I can see how it has actually changed their lives.
“One of the interesting features of the clinic is Carbon Monoxide monitoring, which shows the patients’ progress in real time. As they cut down on or cease smoking, some people want to come back one last time to make sure their CO has remained low after stopping smoking completely.”
Mumtaz and Deepali agree the positive reach of the clinic wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support of the clinical team and their Queensland Health funded partners at Quitline.
To get a jumpstart on New Year’s resolutions, Queensland Health staff can also access free cessation resources here.