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USPSTF recommends clinicians ask all adults about tobacco use

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that clinicians ask all adults if they smoke, and to advise them to quit if they do, according to a recommendation statement published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The task force also has called for more research on the use of smoking cessation medications in pregnant women who smoke, as well as the use of e-cigarettes as a cessation method.

Albert L. Siu

“One of the most important steps people can take for their health is to quit smoking, or to never start,” task force chair Albert L. Siu, MD, MSPH, said in a press release. “The good news is that there are many effective interventions to help people stop smoking.”

The USPSTF recommends clinicians offer behavioral interventions — such as in-person or telephone counseling — as well as smoking cessation medications — that include Chantix (varenicline, Pfizer) and bupropion SR — to adults who are not pregnant.

For women who are pregnant, the recommendation is for clinicians to ask about tobacco use and provide behavioral interventions to quit smoking.

It is strongly encouraged that clinicians advise adults to use a combination of both — personal and cessation medication — interventions.

“Smoking cessation is tough, but clinicians and patients have a variety of evidence-based interventions to choose from,” task force member Francisco Garcia, MD, MPH, said in the release. “Clinicians should ask their patients if they smoke and work together to determine the most appropriate way to help them quit.”