The 5As in three minutes
In less than 3 minutes, you can make a difference in the health of your patients. Integrate the 5As into your daily practice to ensure that for every patient, at every visit, commercial tobacco (e.g., smoking) and e-cigarette use status is asked about and documented.
ASK all patients about tobacco and e-cigarette use at every contact.
• “Have you smoked, vaped or used another form of tobacco in the last 6 months?”
• Ensure tobacco and e-cigarette use status is documented.
ADVISE all tobacco and e-cigarette users to consider quitting.
• Urge every tobacco and e-cigarette user to quit in a way that is personally relevant.
ASSESS tobacco and e-cigarette users’ readiness to quit
• Ask every tobacco and e-cigarette user if they are ready to make a quit attempt.
• Assess how important it is for them, and how confident and ready they are to make a change.
ASSIST according to patient readiness/stages of change.
• Build motivation to change.
• Help the patient to make a quit plan.
ARRANGE for referral and follow-up.
• Suggest Smokers’ Helpline’s Quit Connection
• See the Help to Quit and SMDHU Programs and Services sections below for more information about cessation supports available in Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka, as well as those provided by the health unit.
Examples of patient assessment and pharmacotherapy tools:
The Nicotine Dependence Clinic at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) offers a hub for healthcare providers looking for more information and tools to support patients who are looking to quit smoking or vaping.
We also recommended CAMH’s smoking cessation toolkit, which provides practical information on screening, assessing and managing patients who are trying to quit smoking. It includes links to other professional resources, including best practice guides and patient information materials, such as self-help resources.
