CHARACTERIZING NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPY USERS

自从1996年尼古丁贴片和口香糖在没有处方的情况下上市以来，它们的销售额增长了152%。虽然产品包装是为公众使用而设计的，但患者现在可以自行开处方和自行治疗成瘾，而无需联系医疗保健专业人员。 因此，许多吸烟者在没有专业干预的积极效果的情况下尝试戒烟。虽然增加获取显然导致尼古丁替代疗法（NRT）产品的销售增加，但据我们所知，没有研究评估谁在使用这些产品，如何使用这些产品，以及NRT用户与医疗保健专业人员就其戒烟尝试进行互动的程度。由于NRT产品几乎完全通过药房向公众提供，因此药剂师已成为干预的合理候选人，为使用非处方NRT作为戒烟辅助手段的吸烟者提供帮助。 然而，我们知道没有研究表明NRT使用者及其对药剂师在戒烟中的作用的看法。 本研究的最终目标是设计一个干预计划，以培训和激励药剂师提供满足NRT使用者需求的戒烟咨询，本研究的目的是：描述NRT使用者的特征，特别是NRT使用者的社会人口学特征和吸烟行为，包括医疗保健专业人员对戒烟的支持。 描述NRT使用模式，包括对建议的戒烟方案和终止NRT使用计划的依从性。描述当前患者-药剂师在NRT戒烟咨询方面的互动。 评估NRT使用者在购买NRT时对药剂师干预的感知需求和有用性，以及对其戒烟尝试最有帮助的干预类型（特征和组成部分）。在拟议的研究中，从100名NRT使用者收集的数据将补充我们最近获得资助的研究，我们将调查北方加州的2,300名药剂师，以评估为非处方NRT使用者提供戒烟咨询的能力、意愿和可行性。 结合这两项研究的结果，我们预计，我们将做好准备，设计一个有效的干预措施，培训和激励药剂师加入国家的反吸烟努力。

Since nicotine patches and gum became available without prescription in 1996, their sales have increased 152 percent. Although the product packaging has been designed for use by the general public, patients now are able to self-prescribe and self-treat their addiction without contacting a health care professional. Thus, many smokers are making quit attempts without the proven positive effects of professional intervention. Although increased access clearly has resulted in increased sales of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, to our knowledge no studies have assessed who is using the products, how the products are being used, and the extent to which NRT users are interacting with health care professionals regarding their quit attempts. Because NRT products are available to the public almost exclusively via pharmacies, the pharmacist has become the logical candidate for intervening to provide assistance to smokers using nonprescription NRT as an aid for cessation. However, we are aware of no studies that have characterized NRT users and their perceptions of pharmacists' role in smoking cessation. With an ultimate goal of designing an intervention program to train and motivate pharmacists to deliver smoking cessation counseling that meets the needs of NRT users, the aims of this study are to: Characterize NRT users, specifically NRT users' sociodemographic characteristics and smoking behaviors, including support for quitting from health care professionals. Characterize NRT utilization patterns, including compliance with the recommended cessation regimen and plans for terminating NRT use. Characterize current patient-pharmacist interactions with respect to NRT smoking cessation counseling. Assess NRT users' perceived need for and usefulness of pharmacist intervention at the point of NRT purchase, as well as the type of intervention (characteristics and components) that would be most helpful with their quit attempts. Data to be collected from 100 NRT users in the proposed study will complement our study that was recently approved for funding, in which we will survey 2,300 pharmacists in Northern California to assess ability, willingness, and feasibility of providing cessation counseling for nonprescription NRT users. Combining results from these two studies, we anticipate that we will be well prepared to design an effective intervention to train and motivate pharmacists to join the nation's anti-smoking efforts.