The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first clinical treatment guideline focused on helping the 750 million tobacco users who want to quit all forms of tobacco.

Supporting tobacco users to quit is core demand-reduction measure of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and a key component of WHO MPOWER policy package. This guideline provides technical guidance on a thorough set of tobacco cessation interventions for adults, and to support WHO Member States to use evidence-based behavioural interventions and pharmacological treatments for tobacco cessation as part of a comprehensive tobacco control approach.

This guideline is primarily intended for use by health care providers working in clinical and community settings where tobacco users may present and be managed. The recommendations on system-level interventions and policies contained in this guideline are to inform policy makers and health service managers on how to enhance the adoption and implementation of effective tobacco cessation interventions.

The guideline provides recommendations on the use of behavioural support, delivered in both clinical and community settings, including: digital tobacco cessation interventions, pharmacological interventions, and system-level interventions and policies to enhance the adoption and implementation of tobacco cessation interventions. No recommendation is made on the use of traditional, complementary and alternative therapies for tobacco cessation due to insufficient evidence. 

The full report is available on the WHO website, through this link.

The WHO press notice that went out yesterday is available at this webpage.