[Medical Q&A] Why do some people go to a smoking cessation clinic to quit smoking?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Xiao Dan, Researcher, China-Japan Friendship Hospital

Quitting smoking is a challenge, and many people find it difficult to succeed despite multiple attempts. Smoking cessation clinics can provide smokers with professional support and medical resources to help them quit smoking more effectively.

When smokers visit the smoking cessation clinic, professional smoking cessation doctors will conduct multi-faceted assessments of the patients, such as basic personal information, smoking conditions, tobacco addiction, previous attempts to quit smoking, reasons for quitting smoking and willingness, etc. Next, the doctor will develop a personalized smoking cessation treatment plan for each smoker based on the methods recommended by the relevant smoking cessation guidelines and the results of the previous assessment. Subsequently, the smoking cessation doctor will regularly track and follow up the smokers to understand their smoking cessation situation and help them solve various problems encountered in the smoking cessation process. In addition, exhaled carbon monoxide testing can be performed in the smoking cessation clinic. For smokers, they can more objectively recognize the harm of smoking, and for smokers who quit smoking, if the concentration of carbon monoxide in the exhaled gas is reduced, they can more intuitively realize the benefits of quitting smoking, thereby enhancing their confidence in quitting smoking. During the smoking cessation process, smoking cessation doctors will also provide psychological support and counseling to smokers to help them cope with the psychological challenges in the smoking cessation process. In short, the smoking cessation clinic is an effective way and method for smokers to conduct professional smoking cessation treatment, which can improve the success rate of smoking cessation and reduce the risk of relapse.