Aulona Zotaj1, AdrianaZotaj2
1Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania;
2Ministry of Defence, Tirana, Albania.
Aim: Tobacco is one of the biggest public health challenges that Albania is currently facing. Worldwide, tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year. According to the Albanian Population Health Report (2014), smoking is listed as third highest risk factor responsible for most diseases in Albania in 2010, ranking behind diet-related risk factors and high blood pressure.
Methods: The aim of the family medicine is to identify a treatment for all smokers who are willing to quit, those who have not thought of quitting yet, as well as the finding ways to treat former smokers.
Results: Health professionals, in particular family medicine, play an important role in helping smokers quit. It is these health professionals who come into contact with effected smokers that should provide first aid through interventions. Every patient who smokes should receive treatment or advice during every appointment.
Conclusion: For the most effective treatment your family doctor should:
- Document the treatment of each patient and systematically identify smokers during appointments.
- Identify and evaluate the status of patients who use tobacco. In terms of treatment we have three categories:
- -Patients who are smokers and ready to quit. In these cases: questionnaires, advice, evaluation, should be practiced.
- -Tobacco patients who are not ready to quit smoking. In these cases the doctor should help them by using short interventions to motivate them to quit smoking.
- -Patients who have recently quit smoking. We need to make sure they do not resume smoking.
- For smokers whose short interventions are effective, this treatment should be offered at least once.
- Evaluate and determine the patient’s efforts and willingness to quit smoking.
- Recognize and recommend approved pharmaceutical preparations that help quit smoking.
Keywords: family doctor, quit smoking, tobacco.