Program Staff
Program Description
The Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Program is a province-wide program funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health. It is designed to support patients in their smoking cessation journey by providing counselling, support, and up to 26 weeks (within a 1-year period) of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) free of charge.
Program Goals
- Aim to reduce smoking by increasing access to smoking cessation aids for individuals who wish to quit.
- Provide support and resources to patients.
- Assist patient with identifying triggers, creating goals for a quit plan and discussing a quit date.
- Provide tips and tricks on beating cravings, what to expect when taking NRT and how to properly use it.
Performance Measure
At the initial appointment I will use the Readiness Ruler Scale of 0-10, to assess patients’ readiness to make a change by asking 2 questions:
- “How important is it for you to quit?”
- “How confident do you feel to quit?”
Conduct follow-up appointments every 2-4 weeks to ensure accountability, provide support, assess use of nicotine and adjust NRT as necessary.
STOP staff at CAMH provide a 3 – 6 – 12 month follow up survey.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
Long Acting NRT will be provided to patients for a maximum of 4 weeks at a time. I will be encouraging 2-week follow-ups initially.
Patch (Step 1 – 21mg, Step 2 – 14mg, and Step 3 – 7mg)
Short Acting NRT designed for breakthrough cravings will be provided to patients at a maximum of 1 type at each visit to minimize waste. They can switch types at follow up appointments.
Inhaler (10mg, 4mg), Gum (2mg), Lozenge (2mg)
*Not all types of NRT may always be available