Thursday, 6 September 2007
232

Smoke Free Families: Implementation of best practice tobacco screening and support in postnatal care

Justine Daly, MMedSci(HP)1, Katie Tull, Bachelor, of, He2, John Wiggers, PhD1, Megan Freund3, and Sherrian Price, RN, RM, CM, Bach4. (1) Hunter New England Population Health, Hunter New England Area Health Service, Newcastle, Australia, (2) Population Health, Hunter New England Area Health Service, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, Australia, (3) School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Longworth Avenue, Newcastle, Australia, (4) Maitland/Dungog Child and Family Health Nursing Service, Hunter New England Area Health Service, Bonar St, Maitland, 2320, Australia

Background: Children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are at risk of ill health. Infants are particularly vulnerable both physiologically and in their inability to affect their environment. Child and Family Health Centres (CFHC) are an ideal opportunity to intervene with parents who are smokers. Smoke-Free Families (SFF) is a pilot program that encompasses a collaborative partnership between Hunter New England Population Health and Child and Maternal Services.

Strategy: One aspect of SFF includes an intervention to incorporate best-practice ETS advice and smoking cessation support into routine postnatal practice in all CFHC located in the Upper and Lower Hunter Region in New South Wales. Intervention strategies included; a best practice care guideline, engagement of nurse mentors, staff training packages, smoking and ETS screening forms and change to care pathways.

To monitor uptake of best practice smoking care in CFHC, an audit of 344 medical records across the 23 CFHC was undertaken. Analysis of the audit outcome is currently being undertaken and the results will be presented

Conclusion: The partnership model adopted in the Smoke-Free Families program has enhanced the quality and efficiency of the program's implementation. In the future, such a model, inclusive of the other effective strategies utilised, should be investigated using a more rigorous research design to examine its efficacy.


See more of Poster Session
See more of The 2007 Oceania Tobacco Control Conference (4-7 September)