Achieving smoking cessation through collaborative efforts between community pharmacists and health volunteers

The objective of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a collaborative smoking cessation program (CSCP) involving community pharmacists and village health volunteers (VHVs) in a rural community. Our strategy included establishment, implementation, and reflection. The CSCP was established through group discussions among community pharmacists, VHVs, and a local officer. VHVs identified smokers and provided basic counselling, while community pharmacists provided smokers specific and intensive counselling. We also assessed clinical outcomes, such as peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), exhaled partial carbon monoxide (PCO), and continuous abstinence rate (CAR). Finally, interviews from the reflection phase were conducted to investigate attitudes towards participating in the CSCP and unsuccessful quitting. CSCP was completed by 101 out of 108 initial participants. All were men, with an average age of 55.2±10.75 years. After six months, the CSCP resulted in a significant decrease in the mean PCO ( P =0.010). Moreover, 23 smokers successfully quit smoking, yielding a six-month CAR of 22.8% and stated that the CSCP enforced their perseverance. However, 78 volunteers (72.2%) could not quit smoking owing to withdrawal symptoms and influence from their immediate environment. CSCP is a novel smoking cessation model, which should be promoted to enforce smoking cessation in the community. However, significant efforts and coordination of relevant stakeholders are required.