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Medical professionals benefitted from smoking cessation training courses

11 September 2012

More than 60 medical professionals had joined training courses on smoking cessation to equip themselves with better skills to help smokers quit smoking.

Jointly organised by the Tobacco Control Office of the Department of Health (DH), Hospital Authority (HA), Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Treatment Center of the United States, and Tung Wah Groups of Hospitals, the courses aimed at providing training on counselling skills in helping smokers to quit, as well as pharmacotherapy including usage of both nicotine-replacement therapy and non-nicotine replacement medications.

A total of 68 medical professionals, namely doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied healthcare workers working mainly in general out-patient clinics of HA, have attended the courses held between September 5 and 9.

Overseas guest speakers Professor Richard Hurt, Director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, and Dr Michael Burke, Clinical Coordinator of the Center, delivered lectures with vivid examples in which attendees had benefited from their experience sharing.

The TCO has been committed to promoting a smoke-free culture in Hong Kong so as to safeguard the health of the community. The Office has been proactively providing training to healthcare personnels with pleasing results. In April this year, the DH was designated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to set up the WHO Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence, which aims to provide evidence-based smoking cessation training for healthcare personnel. Over the past two years, DH has trained up more than 100 healthcare personnel in smoking cessation services. Graduates from previous courses have greatly enhanced their skills, confidence and readiness in providing treatment to quitters.

Apart from training programmes, an e-learning platform has been developed in May by TCO to equip local healthcare professionals on the knowledge about smoking cessation.

More information on smoke cessation services can be found on TCO webpage (http://tco.gov.hk).