VNA Health Care completes successful smoking cessation project
VNA Health Care recently completed a successful smoking cessation project aimed at impacting the smoking cessation rates of patients with cardiac, diabetes or mental health diagnosis.
The project was funded through a grant from the Kane County Health Department. The grant allowed VNA to provide nurse case management education and follow up to support the patients who indicate they are ready to quit smoking.
Nearly 12 percent of VNA's patients are tobacco users. All tobacco using patients receive advice and counseling to quit during visits to their provider. During the smoking cessation project, VNA case managers called patients shortly after a recent visit to the health clinic and offered the opportunity for additional education specific to smoking.
The case manager followed up with an additional phone call after the educational materials had been sent. By the end of the program on June 30, 298 patients participated.
These patients provided a score representing their readiness to quit smoking, with the average scoring being 5.7 (with 10 being the most ready on a scale of 1 to 10).
After the second follow-up call was made, 42 percent of the patients contacted made the decision to quit smoking. The goal of the project was to find at least 5 percent of these patients made the decision to quit.
"Our patient responded very positively to the personal contact over the phone by our case managers," said Laura Barrett, case management nurse coordinator at VNA. "Taking the time to discuss the various quit smoking support programs available allowed our patients to select the best program for their needs, and increased the success rate of this project."
The smoking cessation project results are consistent with previous studies that show follow-up with patients will result in ongoing positive impacts.
A similar study done at VNA in 2014 resulted in 36 percent of patients contacted making the decision to quit smoking. The process of the primary care provider identifying health risks during the office visit with follow-up within weeks is a powerful combination to support patients who desire to change their health habits.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and is responsible for 480,000 deaths per year in United States alone. Further, smoking causes chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and diabetes. For patients with a cardiac, diabetes or mental health diagnosis, quitting helps their ability to respond to treatment.
VNA Health Care provides affordable health care to 65,000 women, men and children living primarily in Kane, DuPage, and Will counties.
VNA operates nine community health centers and is nationally ranked as a top performing health center as a result of patient outcomes such as high quality prenatal care, control of diabetes, and up-to-date immunizations for children.
VNA's combination of convenience (by appointment or walk-in), patient-centered technology and expert care delivered with respect and compassion have led to these results. In addition to the Health Centers, VNA offers home care and hospice services. VNA is accredited by The Joint Commission.
Visit www.vnahealth.com. For an appointment at one of the VNA locations in Aurora, call (630) 892-4355; or for Elgin area, call (847) 717-6455.