Training Videos on Tobacco Cessation for DOTS Providers

Video 1: The Links between TB and Tobacco

Smokers suffer from a faster and more severe progression of pulmonary TB disease. They have almost double the chance of developing cavity lesions and a greater likelihood of hospitalization.

Smoking increases the length of treatment needed to convert from positive sputum culture to a negative culture. Regardless of patients’ socioeconomic status, smokers are more than twice as likely to die from TB compared to non-smokers.

More than 20% of new TB cases are due to tobacco use. Smoking tobacco almost doubles the risk of acquiring TB infection.

Controlling the tobacco epidemic will help control the TB epidemic.

Video 2: Ask, Advise and Act on Patients’ Tobacco Use

We know that TB is a communicable disease. Although curable, TB is still a major global health problem and is a leading cause of preventable death. In addition, a TB patient’s risk of death is substantially greater if they use tobacco. So it is very important that we encourage TB patients to quit tobacco use.

The evidence is that advice from a health worker can be one of the most important triggers for a tobacco quit attempt. The big question is how to give advice and help someone to quit effectively without taking up too much time or causing awkwardness.

We have developed this short video to explain how to give advice and help someone to quit in everyday practice.

Video 3: Supporting your TB patient to quit

Supporting patients to quit tobacco is an important part of DOTS provider’s job to help people get better from TB. Providers can really help their patients to stop tobacco use for good by explaining the need to stop tobacco abruptly and sticking to the ‘not a puff or chew’ rule. Where possible, they can encourage their patients to think of their own ways of dealing with cravings and side effects, then they are more likely to remember to do these things rather than use tobacco.

And to be noted that nicotine is very addictive, so it is hard for patients to quit. Some may start again, and they need providers’ continued support and encouragement to make another quit attempt. That is why it is so important in every appointment to check whether they are still tobacco free. By supporting patients to quit tobacco, providers are helping them to get better from their TB and live healthier lives in future.

HELP CURE TB – HELP YOUR PATIENTS QUIT TOBACCO.

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