NHS Health Scotland and ASH Scotland have recently announced the launch of the Smoking Cessation Guidelines for Scotland: 2004 Update.

This replaces the earlier guidelines, which were first published in 2000, and provides the most up-to-date evidence on effective smoking cessation interventions as well as guidance on service development in Scotland.

The guidelines are for health professionals to help them support smokers who want to give up. Also available is Encouraging Smokers to Stop: What you can do.

Both documents provide guidance for providers of smoking cessation services and all health professionals who have contact with smokers during the course of their work.

Key messages from the guidelines include: all health professionals should have access to information on the smoking status of their patients, should ensure that smokers have been advised to stop and that all smokers making an attempt to stop should be strongly encouraged to use specialist smoking cessation services.

The complete set of recommendations can be found in the guidelines at: www.healthscotland.com/tobacco or www.ashscotland.org.uk