This document aims to inform and guide healthcare staff in NHS Wales about how to start nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to manage nicotine withdrawal in adults who are admitted to hospital (secondary care).
The document has been reviewed and updated to include information on the use of vapes. The document covers supporting patients who wish to start a quit attempt and patients who do not wish to start a quit attempt but want to have NRT to manage nicotine withdrawal while in hospital, as well as outpatients, patients’ families and friends, and hospital staff.
The document defines the roles and responsibilities of healthcare staff (nurses, doctors, pharmacists and smoking cessation practitioners) at admission to hospital, during an in-patient stay and at discharge. It describes initial assessment and prescribing of NRT, prescribing of additional “when required” NRT products, and providing additional support and advice to patients. It also summarises the training available for healthcare staff. The document is intended to be used alongside the AWMSG-endorsed All Wales Guide: Pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation.
⇩ Initial clinical management of nicotine withdrawal in adults in secondary care 590KB (PDF) |
(November 2024)