CHEST Guidelines-POINT--Are-Advanced-Practice-Professionals-More-Li

POINT--Are-Advanced-Practice-Professionals-More-Li

Pdf Summary

The provided text presents a debate on whether advanced practice professionals (APPs) achieve better results in tobacco cessation compared to physicians. The argument in favor posits that APPs, such as psychologists and addiction counselors, are better suited for this role in respiratory clinics. They argue that APPs use a more collaborative counseling style, which fosters a stronger therapeutic alliance with patients who might be unwilling to quit smoking upon physician advice. APPs are believed to be adept at integrating psychological and behavioral strategies with pharmacotherapy, tailoring treatment to address nicotine dependence's comorbidities like anxiety and depression. They are positioned to offer persistent, customized, long-term treatment strategies that motivate and support patients' readiness to quit.<br /><br />Moreover, APPs have more time to dedicate to smoking cessation efforts, can effectively handle medication adherence, and help manage side effects, tailoring treatment to individual patient needs. The text emphasizes the APPs' ability to deliver motivation enhancement counseling and support behavioral change over time. In end-stage disease cases, APPs provide critical psychological support integrated with cessation counseling, potentially leading to significant health improvements for the patients.<br /><br />In contrast, the counterpoint largely stems from the belief that physicians, with their medical expertise, have historically played a critical role in the decline of tobacco use in the US, dropping from 42% to 16.8%. Despite this, the counterargument indicates the text does not delve deeply into the details, leaving the pro-APP stance unexplored.<br /><br />Overall, the points suggest that while physicians are effective, APPs, due to their specific training and approach, might be more effective in aiding patients with smoking cessation, particularly in specialist environments where a collaborative and patient-centered approach is beneficial.

Keywords

advanced practice professionals

tobacco cessation

physicians

psychologists

addiction counselors

collaborative counseling

therapeutic alliance

nicotine dependence

behavioral strategies

motivation enhancement