Introduction
Smoking is a lifestyle and health issue that causes cancer, tuberculosis, and other chronic pulmonary ailments. Since smoking is a lifestyle and a health issue, more than five million people across the world perish annually due to diseases resulting from tobacco consumption. According to Chaney and Sheriff (2012, p. 25), “cigarette smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States.” Within the United States alone, cigarette smoking accounts for roughly 443,000 fatalities annually (Chaney & Sheriff, 2012). Apart from causing health complications, cigarette smoking is an expensive lifestyle because it leads to addiction and dependence, which reduce their economic potential of smokers and compel them to squander their finances. American male smokers incur medical expenses of up to $15,800, while female smokers have to cover about $17,500 medical expenses (Aldiabat & Clinton, 2013). Through smoking cessation programs, health disorders associated with cigarette smoking can reduce. In this view, the research paper seeks to develop a comprehensive smoking cessation program for Newton Healthcare Center.
Smoking Cessation Program
Since 2004, requirements to improve standards of quality of care among healthcare organizations have augmented with the Medicare program of the United States requiring health centers to integrate smoking cessation programs into their healthcare services (Koplan, Regan, Schneider, & Rigotti, 2008). While approximately 23% of adult Americans and 28% of teenagers are smokers, an extensive empirical research has established that smoking cessation program is the most effective and the safest intervention (Koplan et al., 2008). Research indicates that most smokers (70%) in the United States are normally willing to quit cigarette smoking, but they end up failing to do that. Since the treatment of tobacco-related ailments is increasingly becoming expensive and frustrating each decade, smoking cessation program is more effective than any other intervention. The intended smoking cessation program will focus on numerous healthcare related interventions that will aid in controlling smoking in Newton Healthcare Center. The plan encompasses a SWOT analysis, program objectives, the intended strategy, an action plan, financial projections of the program, and an implementation strategy.
Opportunity and Issue Analysis (SWOT Analysis)
The intended plan for the smoking cessation program acknowledges that every strategy requires an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and weaknesses (SWOT analysis). A SWOT analysis of Newton Healthcare Center will enable the strategy to evaluate the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and limitations (Richard, West, & Ku, 2012). SWOT analysis will help to determine the likelihood of achieving positive outcomes of the smoking cessation program.
Strengths
The primary objective of any intended healthcare plan in a service line is to meet the needs of the target population (Aldiabat & Clinton, 2013). In this case, smokers are the target populace for the intended smoking cessation program. Newton Healthcare Center is the main hospital around California State, which records the highest number of patients’ attendance, and thus it is appropriate for the plan, as it will easily reach the targeted population of smokers. The hospital infrastructure and facilities are adequate to support the cessation program without resource limitations. Human resources and financial capital are essential in determining the success of the plan. Newton Healthcare Center has enough nurses, counselors, physicians, and other supporting staff. The hospital receives stable financial support from non-governmental organizations and the government itself.
Weaknesses
Weaknesses include attributes associated with Newton Healthcare Center that affects the likelihood of attaining positive outcomes in the proposed cessation plan. Smoking is a lifestyle issue and does not associate with particular personality as it is a universal health problem associated even with healthcare professionals. It is unethical and unfortunate that some healthcare officials working at Newton Healthcare Center are potential smokers. The cigarette cessation requires nurses, counselors, and physicians with professional counseling expertise in giving smoking advice (Koplan et al., 2008). This means that such smoking tendencies among healthcare professionals may ruin the perception of the smokers on the intended smoking cessation program. The program will, therefore, require extra assessment to scrutinize smokers within the center to determine eligible counselors and program implementers.
Opportunities
Opportunities from the perspective of this project refer to the potential elements that the planned cessation program can take their advantage and exploit them. The foremost opportunity of the smoking cessation program is that Newton Healthcare Center is very famous for exemplary provision of quality healthcare services that it offers to the population around California. The hospital management has been regularly receiving awards for exemplary patient care, an aspect that has strengthened loyalty and trust among the communities. The intended plan for the cessation program coincides with the promotions that the government of the United States undertakes to reinforce tobacco cessation interventions (Richard et al., 2012). The nationwide campaigns set to begin this year will provide Newton Healthcare Center with an opportunity to support the program. Moreover, the hospital has an experience in dealing with patients who are smoking.
Threats
Threats include potential environmental elements around Newton Healthcare Center that have the ability to ruin the effectiveness of the intended smoking cessation plan. The social behavior of Californians is a potential threat to the cessation program. While the program may be targeting cigarette smoking, California is currently among leading States in America with high rates of people abusing drugs. Many patients initially diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, and pulmonary diseases have recorded high rates of drug abuse. Simple cigarette smoking has encouraged the others in different social groups to use drugs, such as nicotine, cocaine, and bhang. Smoking of tobacco and abuse of other drugs complicate the progress of smoke cessation.
Objectives of the Proposed Plan
The intended smoking cessation program will have the main purpose of making smokers quit smoking completely as a healthcare concern. Moreover, Slatore, Au, and Hollingsworth (2009) recommend that the cessation plan should adopt specific secondary objectives targeted towards supporting the comprehensive coverage of the program. The first objective is to undertake a comprehensive community-based healthcare needs assessment across the California State to diagnose and identify levels of smoking and the heavily affected smokers. The second objective is to establish all the factors that predispose the smokers to continue smoking and join smoking social groups. The third objective is to investigate the population of heavy smokers willing to cease from smoking, identify the challenges they face, and support them to give up smoking. The fourth objective is to integrate a smoking cessation program that covers the diagnosis of smoking, counseling of smokers, and patient care system to help the smokers quit their smoking habits. The fifth objective is to develop complementary smoking cessation programs, which include biometric and dietary programs, physical and psychological wellness training, and behavioral plan.
Marketing Strategy 1: Community Needs Assessment
The marketing strategy that the intended smoking cessation program follows will focus on the objectives developed for the program. Chaney and Sheriff (2012) advise managers to perform an appraisal of community healthcare needs before commencing a program. Community healthcare needs assessment will aim at identifying the smoking status of Californians, undertake a comprehensive diagnosis to scrutinize smokers, and run campaigns to attract the smoking population. According to Richard et al. (2012), healthcare needs assessment related to the smoking cessation program includes records showing the health status of the smokers, potential factors contributing to smoking behaviors, and the levels of drug abuse among smokers. The comprehensive healthcare needs assessment program will diagnose smokers willing to identify the presence of diseases associated with smoking.
Marketing Strategy 2: Assessing Predisposing Factors
In tandem with the comprehensive needs assessment, the intended cessation program will also focus on identifying psychological and social behaviors that push for tobacco dependence among users. According to Chaney and Sheriff (2012, p. 25), “the etiology of tobacco dependence is multidimensional and includes physiological, psychological, and social/behavioral factors.” The needs assessment program will access physiological factors, prior to concluding on the intervention to employ. The community nurses undertaking the community assessment program will also evaluate psychological aspects contributing to the use and addiction to tobacco. The smoking cessation program supposes that unemployment, work stresses, and family frustrations are among other oppressive human experiences that push smokers to addictive smoking habits. Social factors are the foremost causes of adopting and continuation of smoking behaviors among many users. Peer pressure, family members, and nurturing habits contribute to smoking behaviors (Aldiabat & Clinton, 2013). Identifying smoking predisposing factors will help the concerned program implementation committee to devise the most effective means of delivering appropriate care and counseling to the smokers.
Marketing Strategy 3: Identifying Willing Participants
It is important to understand that any healthcare program intended to meet the healthcare demands of a community must respect their willingness to participate in any treatment program. Any coercion of smokers is unethical and unproductive because it will cause panic among patients and scare them away; hence, negatively affect the outcome of cessation program. Ethical approach to smokers will definitely enhance the capacity of the smoking cessation program to achieve positive results. While approximately 70% of American smokers would wish to quit smoking completely, aspect of confidentiality, shyness among smokers, and fear should receive attention as such aspects will determine the effectiveness of the program. This is the time when a comprehensive community campaign against tobacco use and the need to practice smoking cessation should begin. Nurses and the counselors will gather, teach, and sensitize Californian community members on the health, physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences of smoking behaviors.
Marketing Strategy 4: Healthcare Interventions
A healthcare plan intended to improve healthcare without interventions is illogical. The final path towards effective cessation will include creating interventions to help the selected smokers to achieve positive cessation results (Slatore et al., 2009). The cessation interventions will include placing the smokers on a care plan that will involve medical treatment interventions for tobacco dependency, treatment to cure tobacco-related disorders, care in psychiatric departments, and other support programs. Professional counselors, nurses, physicians and other support staff will develop a timeframe to undertake the counseling process, carry out frequent diagnoses, and provide treatment and care to the smokers in the program. Counseling during this moment will strengthen on eliminating the mentioned predisposing factors, changing the social behaviors of participants, and providing them with alternatives against smoking (Aldiabat & Clinton, 2013). Counselors, nurses, and physicians involved in the plan can introduce dietary programs, biometric programs, physical fitness programs, and provide supplementary reading materials to help the smokers understand the importance of ceasing from smoking.
An Action Plan
A plan is successful and usable when meaningful approaches are in place to accomplish it (Chaney & Sheriff, 2012). The planned smoking cessation program should have an action plan and action items to accomplish its missions. The action plan of the designed cessation program will begin by assembling necessary human resources and capital necessary to support the program. To receive financial support, the management of Newton Healthcare Center must inform the financiers about the cessation program to receive assurance of financial support throughout the program (Aldiabat & Clinton, 2013). Finance is never enough to make a plan successful without considering the available human capital or human resources to improve the skills and competency towards achieving the stipulated objectives. Keeping the doctors, counselors, and nurses psychologically and physically prepared for the tasks ahead seem imperative.
Implementation Plan
In ensuring effective implementation of the intended smoking cessation program, the plan should have an implementation and progress assessment committee. An implementation committee will act independently, without any coercion from individuals taking part in the cessation program or from the management (Koplan et al., 2008). The implementation committee will have oversight responsibility of the cessation program. It will have the mandate to carry out independent progress investigations, including examining the perceptions of smokers and the community regarding the smoking cessation program (Koplan et al., 2008). The implementation committee is responsible for documenting progress reports, setting recommendation of the cessation program, and summoning the counselors, physicians, and nurses for advice on how to improve the program.
Financial Projections
Conclusion
In the presentation of the proposed smoking session program of the Newton Healthcare Center, it is important to understand that cigarette smoking is a preventable cause of deaths because it is a lifestyle issue. Tuberculosis, cardiovascular diseases, and pulmonary diseases are deadly diseases that people can prevent through lifestyle interventions like smoking cessation program. Although preventing the occurrence of such diseases is sometimes uneasy, smoking cessation programs in hospitals can largely help to reduce deaths that occur due to smoking.
References
Aldiabat, K., & Clinton, M. (2013). Becoming an exhausted smoker: the beginning of the end. American Journal of Nursing Science, 2(1), 6-13.
Chaney, S., & Sheriff, S. (2012). Evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation. The Nurse Practitioner, 37(4), 24-31.
Koplan, K., Regan, S., Goldszer, R., Schneider, L., & Rigotti, N. (2008). A Computerized Aid to Support Smoking Cessation Treatment for Hospital Patients. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 23(8), 1214-1217.
Richard, P., West, K., & Ku, L. (2012). The Return on Investment of a Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Program in Massachusetts. PLOS ONE, 7(1), 1-8.
Slatore, C., Au, D., & Hollingsworth, W. (2009). Cost-Effectiveness of a Smoking Cessation Program Implemented at the Time of Surgery for Lung Cancer. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 4(4), 499-504.