Managing nicotine dependence in NSW hospital patients

In recognition of the adverse consequences of tobacco use on patient health, the financial burden of smoking on the health care system, and the role of health services in the treatment of tobacco users (to enable their cessation of smoking), the NSW Department of Health has implemented a number of smoking cessation initiatives in recent years. Among these are the 1999 NSW Smokefree Workplace Policy, which requires all area health service facilities and campuses to become smoke-free, and the development and release of the Guide for the Management of Nicotine Dependent Inpatients in 2002. This article describes the implications of the NSW Smokefree Workplace Policy on hospitals and discusses the development and utility of the Guide in the context of the ongoing challenge of improving care for inpatients who are dependent on nicotine.