Our findings are consistent with those of other studies demonstrating benefits of callback telephone counselling to facilitate cessation. Such counselling provides a flexible, relatively inexpensive and widely available form of cessation service. It appears to encourage a greater proportion of quit attempts and to reduce the rate of relapse among those quitting. Further research is required to determine ways to enhance effectiveness, particularly studies of how to reduce relapse.

The findings from our review add to the body of knowledge on elimination of health disparities, by identifying effective and practical strategies for conducting and engaging Indigenous peoples with RCTs. Future trials that seek to benefit Indigenous peoples should actively involve Indigenous research partners, and respect and draw on pertinent Indigenous knowledge and values. This review has the potential to assist in the design of such studies.

Quitlines are increasingly becoming a core smoking cessation resource. This paper canvasses the potential of quitlines and briefly reviews the evidence for their utility. Quitlines can be an effective means of helping smokers quit. They can provide a triage service helping to direct smokers to the most appropriate assistance, and they can provide cessation help, either one-off sessions or systematic programmes of call-back counselling. Quitlines have features that uniquely place them to provide effective, accessible and affordable cessation help to large numbers and they can be modified readily to meet the needs of groups with special needs, including the capacity to act as part of co-ordinated care with face-to-face services. Quitlines are likely to become an even more important part of tobacco control infrastructure over the next few years.

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