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就可以买到以来，它们的销售额增长了152%。尽管产品包装是为普通公众设计的，但患者现在可以自己开处方，自己治疗自己的毒瘾，而不需要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。尽管获得尼古丁替代疗法(NRT)产品的机会明显增加，但据我们所知，还没有研究评估谁在使用这些产品，这些产品是如何使用的，以及NRT使用者与卫生保健专业人员就他们的戒烟尝试进行互动的程度。由于NRT产品几乎只能通过药店向公众提供，药剂师已经成为干预的合乎逻辑的候选人，以非处方药NRT作为戒烟辅助手段为吸烟者提供帮助。然而，据我们所知，还没有研究表明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项干预计划，以培训和激励药剂师提供满足NRT使用者需求的戒烟咨询服务。本研究的目的是：了解NRT使用者，特别是NRT使用者的社会人口学特征和吸烟行为，包括对戒烟专业人员的支持。描述NRT的使用模式，包括遵守推荐的停药方案和终止NRT使用的计划。描述目前NRT戒烟咨询方面的患者与药剂师之间的互动。评估NRT使用者在购买NRT时对药剂师干预的感知需求和有效性，以及对他们的戒烟尝试最有帮助的干预类型(特征和成分)。在拟议的研究中，将从100名非处方药使用者那里收集的数据将补充我们最近获得批准资助的研究，在该研究中，我们将调查北加州的2300名药剂师，以评估为非处方药非处方药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，我们预计我们将充分准备设计一种有效的干预措施，以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.