Nurse Counseling as Part of a Multicomponent Tobacco Treatment Intervention

Abstract

Introduction Although tobacco use is widely recognized as a major cause of preventable morbidity and mortality, tobacco treatment remains challenging. Purpose The purpose of this integrative review is to synthesize the research findings regarding multicomponent tobacco treatment interventions combining nurse counseling and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Methods Published literature from 1990 through April 2019 was searched using the databases PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. We extracted data into a literature matrix to facilitate comparison across primary sources and make conclusions about this body of literature as a whole. Findings This integrative review includes 21 publications that investigated the effects of tobacco treatment interventions incorporating both nurse counseling and NRT. Articles were reviewed for quality indicators. Results The evidence from this set of studies indicates that nurse counseling is an effective intervention when combined with NRT. The most successful interventions included long-term face-to-face counseling with a nurse. In addition, interventions in which longer courses of NRT were offered for free or at subsidized rates were most successful at engendering smoking cessation. Moreover, interventions that maximized social support for participants attempting to quit smoking resulted in favorable outcomes. Discussion The findings can provide useful guidance regarding the designing and implementation of effective tobacco treatment interventions that incorporate various components. Conclusion Nurse counseling augmented by additional effective tobacco treatment therapies including NRT leads to beneficial outcomes in smoking cessation. Future researchers should capitalize on this apparent synergistic relationship between multiple tobacco treatment components.