Approaches to Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation in Primary Care: 5A and 5R Strategies

Despite our successful tobacco control campaign and the rapid increase in the number of smokers who have quit in recent years, smoking remains the most important public health problem in our country. All physicians should strongly advise every patient who smokes to quit because evidence shows that quitting with physician advice increases long-term success. Family physicians, who are the first point of access to health as primary care physicians and provide continuous and biopsychosocial comprehensive care to the patient, have a great role in the fight against smoking. The 5A-5R approach is a structured method that can be used by physicians in all smoking cessation interventions from brief physician intervention to more intensive clinical interviews. The withdrawal symptoms encountered during cessation can be overcome by adopting a healthy lifestyle, sharing these problems with the physician and seeking solutions, and adding pharmacological treatment when necessary.

Cite this article as: Acar, T. (2023). Approaches to tobacco use and smoking cessation in primary care: 5A and 5R strategies. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 10(3), 259-267.