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Emergency Department encourages smoking cessation
Waikato Hospital’s emergency department may be a busy place but that hasn’t stopped staff helping the DHB achieve two of the tougher health targets.
The shorter stays in ED and better help for smokers to quit are health targets which have proven tough to nail.
To help with the ‘better help for smokers to quit’ target, nurse educator Haley Scown developed a pack to streamline smoking cessation in ED.
“We support the health targets and make a concerted effort to improve our service where possible,” said Haley.
The department wanted to break through the
barriers of asking if someone smoked and would they like
help quitting. Their biggest barrier was time to ask and
then getting all the information they required.
“We took away that barrier once we produced the packs to give to smokers who wanted help quitting. They contain a pre-signed quit card and smoking cessation information,” said Haley
Staff document on patient admission forms if the patient wants help to quit If they do they give them a quit pack containing a letter on how to access smoking cessation services, a quit book and quit card for cheaper nicotine.
Small pink ‘ABC’ cards (ask, offer brief advice and recommend cessation support) will be placed on computers to remind doctors to complete smoking fields on the discharge summary.
Aska, the pink elephant, is also sitting in triage to remind staff to ask patients if they would like help to quit and to document the smoke status.
“Emergency Department nursing staff utilised this resource effectively, which has made their jobs easier,” said Haley
The April ED newsletter published on the intranet published an MoH fact sheet (attached) on the role ED staff play in smoking cessation.
Director of Nursing and Midwifery Sue Hayward said ED’s initiative and support of the targets was worthy of recognition.
Check our media releases on www.waikatodhb.health.nz/news or
ENDS
About
Waikato District Health Board and Health
Waikato:
Waikato DHB is responsible for planning, funding and providing quality health and disability support services for the 363,400 people living in the Waikato DHB region. It has an annual turnover of $1.1 billion and employs more than 6000 people.
Health Waikato is the DHB’s main provider of hospital and health services with an annual budget of more than $674 million and 4980 staff. It has six groups across five hospital sites, two continuing care facilities and 20 community bases offering a comprehensive range of primary, secondary and tertiary health services.
A wide range of independent providers deliver other Waikato DHB-funded health services - including primary health, pharmacies and community laboratories.
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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