2012 Registered Nurses Referral to Quitlines-Helping Smokers Quit (RNQL-HSQ)

Welcome to the RNQL-HSQ project for nurses in Kentucky & Louisiana 

Thanks for participating in this important initiative. Nurses from 4 hospitals in Kentucky and 4 in Louisiana are invited to participate in the RNQL-HSQ project to receive free education and resources in tobacco cessation to help your patients quit. The program includes a webcast, web-based resources, a trifold folder including a pocket guide for helping smokers quit, and a card from the Kentucky telephone quitline.  

 Choose your state below and get started!

 It's simple! just type in the access code you were given in the email message you received after you submitted the first (baseline) survey for either Kentucky or Louisiana. then you will be able to watch the 50-minute Webcast and check out the other valuable resources that will help you help your patients quit.  

Nurses can play a pivotal role in addressing the primary cause of death and disease in the United States: tobacco use. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and illness in the US, causing over 400,000 deaths every year and costing trillions of dollars in healthcare costs and loss of life. You are part of a national effort to improve quality of care and the health of your patients by learning more about how to help smokers quit.

The RNQL-HSQ is an innovative distance-learning program to assist nurses to help their patients stop smoking based upon the U.S. Public Health Service’s Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, Clinical Practice Guideline (Guideline) . Despite its availability, the Guideline is underutilized by healthcare professionals. As the largest group of healthcare providers, effectively trained nurses can be invaluable in helping patients stop smoking. Additionally, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations rates hospitals based upon their performance in smoking cessation interventions for all patients and nurses can make a big difference with thier hospital's rating and in thier patients' lives.

An important component of the HSQ project is to provide resources and information through our website. If you have any questions, please contact us directly via email info@tobaccofreenurses.org or by phone at 1-310-206-2824.

Nurses can make a difference! As the largest group of healthcare professionals, nurses are able to help many smokers quit

Nurses are in a key position to help all patients receive the health benefits of quitting smoking. Even a brief intervention of no more than 3 minutes can be effective. Getting help with quitting during hospitalization is effective, especially if this support continues after discharge including support from a telephone quitline. To help smokers quit, every healthcare provider is urged to implement an intervention, referred to as the 5As.

The project is based at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing and is led by Dr. Linda Sarna, Principal Investigator, and Dr. Stella Bialous, co-investigator, Tobacco Policy International. Project Director: Dr. Marjorie Wells.