In this activity, you will be presented with two (2) scenarios where you will be asked to determine patients’ nicotine dependence levels and recommend a suitable course of treatment to help them quit smoking. 

Step 1: Analyze

Analyze the scenarios below and make appropriate recommendations for treatments to help the patients quit smoking based on the information presented. Include the following information in your assessments:

• Patient’s apparent level of nicotine dependence.
• Recommended treatment for the patient (NRTs, behavioral interventions, counseling, etc.), taking into consideration the available services and resources in your country.
• A brief justification of the treatment selected.

Scenario 1: Nathalie

Nathalie is a 54-year-old-woman who works in information technology. She has a demanding job that can be quite stressful at times. Nathalie has a history of depression and anxiety. She started smoking menthol cigarettes 18 years ago to help her cope with the stress from work. She has been working with the same company for 12 years now. In this time, she has experienced a heart attack and has mild hypertension, which has prompted several attempts to quit smoking. Her doctors have informed her that she has a  coronary artery disease, but she continues to smoke one pack of cigarettes per day. Nathalie was recently referred to you by her cardiologist to discuss appropriate pharmacological interventions. 

Nathalie lets you know that she is worried about her health and she desperately wants to quit. She recently scored 5 on the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and lets you know that she has tried the nicotine patch several times but has not used them long term.

Scenario 2: Allen

Allen is a 62-year-old accountant who has been smoking cigarettes for the last 22 years. Allen smokes 1 ½ packs (approximately 30 cigarettes) per day. He smokes immediately after waking up in the morning and the last thing at night before he goes to bed. He has tried unsuccessfully to quit several times. He has 2 adult children (25 years old and 30 years old) who are concerned about his health and continually encourage him to quit. He has never had any serious health problems, but he understands the effects of smoking. His friend recently died from lung cancer and that has preempted his appointment today. His longest period of being smoke-free is 2 weeks. 

Step 2: Write

Create a short post (300 - 500 words) with your answers for the scenarios presented (you may use paragraphs, point form, or a table to separate each of your answers for both scenarios). 

Step 3: Share

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under the post and paste your work in the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).