Clinical Pharmacy Forum
Sunday, October 13, 2024
12:45 PM–02:15 PM
Abstract
Service or Program: The pharmacy team at a primary care office led modified, in-person Freedom From Smoking® (FFS) classes with the addition of personalized pharmacotherapy. FFS® is a comprehensive, cognitive, behavior-oriented program that utilizes group interaction and support developed by the American Lung Association. Pharmacists met with patients individually during session 2 of the class to prescribe medication for tobacco cessation. Follow up was provided throughout the remainder of the 8 sessions and several weeks thereafter. Adult patients who were current tobacco users were recruited through the primary care clinic and by informing practitioners about the service for referral. Providers order a consult to pharmacy for tobacco cessation, which serves as the referral to the classes and allows the pharmacists to prescribe and adjust tobacco cessation medications.
Justification/Documentation: Despite efforts by large corporations to decrease tobacco use rates, high levels of tobacco use continue within the United States and healthcare costs related to tobacco are increasing. Developing programs to help patients quit tobacco is imperative and FFS® is a widely available program for tobacco cessation. Pharmacists embedded in ambulatory clinics or pulmonary clinics are in prime positions to help combat the ongoing tobacco epidemic. The model described here is reproducible in other clinic settings and the measure of success, tobacco abstinence, can be easily collected.
Adaptability: Any healthcare provider, including pharmacists, can become a certified FFS® trainer and class sizes can scaled to fit the specific clinic environment. Having a consult agreement in place for prescribing pharmacotherapy can ensure a continuum of care.
Significance: Since the beginning of 2024, all patients enrolled in the classes have quit tobacco use. The addition of personalized pharmacotherapy management to structured, proven, tobacco cessation classes enables pharmacists to bridge the gap between the effectiveness of both tobacco cessation counseling and medication use to ensure tobacco cessation.
Presenting Author
Bianca Nixon PharmD, BCACPCleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital
Authors
Natalie Tasseff PharmD, BCACP
Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital