The role of advanced practice psychiatric nurses in treating tobacco use and dependence

Tobacco use is treatable and the benefits of smoking cessation are impressi ve, yet like other health care providers, psychiatric nurses have failed to consistently assess and treat tobacco use effectively, Tobacco use continu es to cause illness, disability, and death at unprecedented rates. Nicotine addiction is drug abuse and it is a chronic disease and needs to be treate d as such. There are clear health benefits to smoking cessation regardless of the age of smoking initiation or the age of smoking cessation, Advanced practice psychiatric nurses (APPNs) are in a unique position to make an imp act on a smoker's risk of suffering from tobacco-related diseases: the trea tment of choice is the combination of pharmacotherapy and psychosocial inte rventions, both within the realm of APPN practice; psychiatric and substanc e abusing patients consistently demonstrate increased rates of cigarette sm oking compared with healthy controls; and tobacco use is drug abuse, a trea table chronic disease, The ability of APPNs to deliver psychotherapeutic an d pharmacologic care secures a position in the forefront of treating tobacc o use. In addition to intervention, psychiatric nurses need to step up and take an active role in initiating and supporting tobacco control policy and legislation. Copyright (C) 2001 by W,B, Saunders Company.