Smoking Cessation: Impact of 5A's Tool Counseling Intervention - Research Paper

Introduction

The idea of smoking cessation through counseling has been advanced for long with therapists aiming to make the process more effective for their clients. The aim is to enable them to identify positively with the approaches advanced in a bid to improve their wellbeing. The narrative aims to conduct a literature synthesis on the PICOT topic: Will implementation of behavioral counseling on smoking cessation using 5A's tool by clinicians encourage patients to quit smoking cigarettes in a primary care clinic within an 8-10 weeks' timeframe?

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5As Counseling and Smoking Cessation

Background on 5A's tool in Counseling

The 5As tool is important in counseling as it entails the use of specific mechanisms that are essential in highlighting the problem of tobacco smoking of the client and help to address them effectively. These include; asking the client why they smoke, advising people involved in smoking to quit, assessing the willingness of the individual to quit smoking, assisting the person to quit, and arranging for follow-up either by telephone or in person (Olaiya et al., 2015). The process is essential in improving the chances of the best outcomes being attained.

Generally, the 5As tool focuses on the behavior and aims to enable the individual involved in it to establish the negative outcomes associated with it. As a result, it is possible for them to see the value that lies in stopping the behavior (Wray et al., 2018). It is crucial in enabling them to be outstanding as the therapists walk with them throughout. They attain the level of confidence necessary to allow them to stop the behavior.

In the application of the 5As, the assisting part could entail referral, pharmacotherapy, or counselling (Sharma et al., 2017). Often, counselors prefer using all three elements. The aim is mostly to enhance the levels of success that can be attained from the process. The clients need to feel that they are adequately taken care of and held in high esteem. It is through the process that they will manage to fully concentrate on the specific therapy, which they are being offered. Through the process, they can attain a positive view of the therapy.

Effectiveness of 5As in Aiding Smoking Cessation

The 5As framework provided by WHO in aiding smoking cessation is established to be significantly useful. Among the areas of strength that it bears is that it is comprehensive (Chai et al., 2018). Therefore, therapists stand the ability to use the various elements contained in it to attain a better understanding of their clients and enable them to guide the clients on how to stop the habit. The tool is also useful in that it allows the therapist to walk alongside the client.

Therefore, the counselor is capable of fully understanding the various challenges, which the client experiences in the quest for smoking cessation. As a result, there is a high chance that the best approaches will be used to attain the best outcomes with respect to the client. The framework is established to be significantly accurate and increases upon the chances of clients benefitting from it (Flocke & Antognoli, 2017). As a result, they are likely to identify positively with the therapy, which they are offered.

Another element that contributes to the effectiveness of the 5As tool is the follow-up, which is usually adopted by therapists. Generally, the process is aligned with the idea of establishing how the clients are fairing on with respect to the application of the recommendations, which they were offered during the therapy. The process is deemed to be essential in helping to establish the specific problems which the clients might be experiencing in the entire process (Luo et al., 2018).

It, therefore, creates an ease in the adoption of the right mechanisms, which will aid in easing the situation. As a result, the clients can identify positively with the therapy offered and aim to focus more on stopping the habit so from contributing positively towards improving their qualities of life.

Barriers to the Application of 5As and How to Address Them

In spite of the potential positive outcomes provided in the application of 5As in helping people quit smoking, various barriers could impede its proper use. Therefore, these barriers need to be identified and addressed adequately in a bid to ensure that the best outcomes are attained. Some of the barriers include; lack of knowledge, time restrictions, and lack of skills and training (Longman et al., 2018).

In addition, the lack of adequate ancillary support presents a high risk of impacting the therapy sessions negatively. It is, therefore, less possible to attain the desired outcomes with respect to the ability of a client to stop smoking (Swamy et al., 2016). Therefore, before the initiation of the therapy, it is necessary for the therapist to establish the best mechanisms, which will be applied in addressing the barriers. It is through the process that they will manage to be of significant value to the client.

With respect to clinicians, it is necessary to educate them on how to use the 5As tool properly to be of great value to their patients (Patten et al., 2019). The process will enable nurses to attain significant levels of confidence. They will be aware of the specific approaches, which they need to apply with respect to counseling their patients (Napoles et al., 2016). Better methods need to be based on the idea of identifying the weak areas, which prevent patients from being willing to stop the habit (Kalkhoran et al., 2016).

Through the process, nurses will manage to be of significant value to patients who happen to be smokers. They will help to show the patients that they are held in high esteem, and the best approaches are being applied to assist them effectively with respect to the various challenges, which they often experience.

Conclusion

As established from the synthesis of the literature, the application of the 5As tool in smoking cessation is established to be highly effective. The tool is comprehensive and, therefore, capable of focusing on the specific areas of weakness that clients have concerning smoking cessation. It also provides the chance for follow-up on the patients.

Consequently, it is possible to establish the specific challenges, which clients experience and, thereby, enable them to be outstanding in smoking cessation. A conspicuous barrier to the utilization of the 5As tool is the lack of proper skills among counselors. Therefore, they require appropriate training to boost their competencies. The process will enable them to be outstanding in applying the skills provided. They will manage to be of significant value to their clients.

References

Chai, W., Zou, G., Shi, J., Chen, W., Gong, X., Wei, X., & Ling, L. (2018). Evaluation of the effectiveness of a WHO-5A model based comprehensive tobacco control program among migrant workers in Guangdong, China: a pilot study. BMC public health, 18(1), 296. Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-018-5182-6

Flocke, S. A., & Antognoli, E. (2017). Assessing the accuracy of patient report of the 5As (ask, assess, advise, assist, and arrange) for smoking cessation counseling. Family Medicine and Community Health, 5(3), 164-169. Retrieved from https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cscript/fmch/2017/00000005/00000003/art00002

Kalkhoran, S., Appelle, N. A., Napoles, A. M., Munoz, R. F., Lum, P. J., Alvarado, N., ...& Satterfield, J. M. (2016). Beyond the ask and advise: implementation of a computer tablet intervention to enhance provider adherence to the 5As for smoking cessation. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 60, 91-100. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074054721500135X

Longman, J. M., Adams, C. M., Johnston, J. J., & Passey, M. E. (2018). Improving implementation of the smoking cessation guidelines with pregnant women: How to support clinicians?. Midwifery, 58, 137-144. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266613817304102

Luo, J. G., Han, L., Chen, L. W., Gao, Y., Ding, X. J., Li, Y., ... & Ma, C. S. (2018). Effect of Intensive Personalized "5As+ 5Rs" Intervention on Smoking Cessation in Hospitalized Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Not Ready to Quit Immediately: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 20(5), 596-605. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ntr/article-abstract/20/5/596/3873502

Napoles, A. M., Appelle, N., Kalkhoran, S., Vijayaraghavan, M., Alvarado, N., & Satterfield, J. (2016). Perceptions of clinicians and staff about the use of digital technology in primary care: qualitative interviews prior to implementation of a computer-facilitated 5As intervention. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 16(1), 1-13. Retrieved from https://bmcmedinformdecismak.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12911-016-0284-5?optIn=false

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