Pat Kee

Key population groups
Quitting Strategies and Methods

The Victorian Quitline service and the telephone callback service have been shown by evaluation to be effective smoking cessation interventions. In Victoria, these services have been extended and developed, in partnership with relevant organisations, to meet the requirements of key population groups with special needs, including those where smoking prevalence is disturbingly higher than the general population. The key groups include: the mentally ill for whom a multidisciplinary approach with the treating physician is essential; pregnant women for whom relapse is significant and who need support throughout the pregnancy and into the post partum period; cardiac patients who, like pregnant women may not have worked through quitting as a process; youth, whose stage in life offers particular challenges for telephone counsellors; and multicultural groups with specific language and cultural requirements. This paper will address the development of Quitline strategies and methods, including the modification of standard Quitline policies and counselling guidelines used to support safe smoking cessation for the key population groups. The evidence and experiences that support the current practice and the specialist training required for telephone counsellors to expand their skill base and to provide the duty of care necessary, will also be presented. The partnerships formed have been crucial not only in the development of appropriate policy and practice but also to further the growing recognition of the need for multidisciplinary approaches, particularly with key population groups.

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