On the Front Line of Smoking Cessation: Practices and Perceptions of Canadian Community Pharmacists

Now that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), in the form of gum and patches, is sold in Canadian pharmacies without prescription, pharmacists may be the first or only health professional smokers consult when using this method to quit smoking. This Update reports on findings from a study that surveyed Canadian pharmacists, asking about their knowledge of smoking cessation and the use of NRT, their attitudes about performing professional roles with respect to cessation, and their current practices in advising patients about quitting smoking.