Tobacco use is the 

LEADING CAUSE of 

PREVENTABLE DEATH

and disease in the 

United States. 

Every member 

of the healthcare 

team can 

SUPPORT AND 

MOTIVATE PATIENTS

in their 

quit journey.

CS 306175-A May 16, 2019

You Can Help Your Patients

Quit Tobacco Use

Tobacco use and dependence is a chronic, relapsing condition that, 

like other chronic diseases, may require repeated intervention and 

long-term support. Most people who use tobacco want to quit, but most 

try to quit multiple times before succeeding. As a healthcare professional, 

you play a critical role in helping people quit using tobacco.

Clinical Intervention Works

• Even brief advice from a provider increases the chance a patient will try to quit.

• Counseling and medication can double a patient’s chances of quitting.

• Providing tobacco dependence treatment is reimbursable and covered as a 

preventive service.

• Providing tobacco cessation support increases patient satisfaction with care.

Advise Quitting and Offer Treatment

• Ask every patient about their tobacco use at every visit.

• Offer patients who use tobacco help quitting at every visit.

• Advise patients who use tobacco that quitting is one of the most important things 

they can do for their health.

• Offer evidence-based cessation treatment, including counseling and medication.

• Offer referrals to additional cessation resources, including quitlines.

• Follow up with patients to provide support throughout the quitting process.

Quitting is a Journey

• Every quit attempt is a step closer to quitting. 

• Help your patients with every quit attempt. Try new strategies like new medications,

medication combinations, or new approaches to handling triggers.

• Encourage patients to learn from what did and did not work and to apply these lessons to their next quit attempt.

• Provide ongoing support to help patients quit for good.

• Don’t give up! Quitting is hard, but it is possible – 3 out of 5 American adults who ever smoked have quit.
Resources to Help Your Patients Quit Smoking Many resources are available to help you support your patients in their quit 

attempts. Below are a few you may find to be particularly useful. For more 

details, links, and resources, visit www.cdc.gov/TipsHCP.

Free Quit Support

QUITLINES

Refer your patients to a quitline for 

more intensive counseling. Learn more 

about quitlines, including answers to 

common questions from health care 

providers, in the Quitlines section at 

www.cdc.gov/TipsHCP.

Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence,

Clinical Practice Guideline: 2008 Update

Learn about evidence-based therapies and interventions.

A quick-reference guide for this clinical guideline and

the full guideline are available at ahrq.gov.

Tobacco Treatment Protocol and Action Guide

from Million Hearts® at millionhearts.hhs.gov

Use this customizable protocol to integrate

cessation interventions into your clinical workflow.

Rx for Change: Clinician-Assisted Tobacco

Cessation at rxforchange.ucsf.edu

This free tobacco cessation training program

will equip you with evidence-based knowledge

and skills to assist your patients with quitting.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force,

Tobacco Cessation Recommendations

Read the most recent recommendations for

adult smoking cessation interventions at

uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.

Patient-Centered Materials from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers® Campaign

Find a variety of free materials to use in your healthcare setting, including posters, notepads,

and patient handouts in the Patient-Centered Materials section at www.cdc.gov/TipsHCP.

1-800-QUIT-NOW (English)

1-855-DÉJELO-YA (Spanish)

1-800-838-8917 (Mandarin and Cantonese)

1-800-556-5564 (Korean)

1-800-778-8440 (Vietnamese)

WEBSITES

CDC.gov/quit (English) or CDC.gov/dejar (Spanish)

Smokefree.gov

TEXT PROGRAM: SmokefreeTXT at smokefree.gov/smokefreetxt

MOBILE APP: QuitSTART at smokefree.gov/apps-quitstart