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View All ProductsMitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.
Learn MoreSmoking is the single largest preventable cause of death and illness in the world, with more than an estimated 480,000 deaths every year—or one in five overall deaths worldwide. Yet more than 34 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and more than 16 million live with a smoking-related disease. Right now, 29 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States are related to smoking. In addition to causing cancers of the larynx, mouth, sinuses, pharynx, esophagus, and bladder, it has been linked to the development of cancer in the pancreas, cervix, ovary (mucinous), colon/rectum, kidney, and stomach, and in some types of leukemia. And yes, cigars and pipes cause cancers as well.
That’s why the American Cancer Society (ACS) has put on the Great American Smokeout every November for more than 40 years. The event, which grew out of a 1970 event in Randolph, Massachusetts, when people were asked to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they would have spent to a high school scholarship fund. It spread to other states, and the ACS took it nationwide in 1977.
This year’s Great American Smokeout occurs on Nov. 21 and hopes to build on the successes the ACS has been seeing in recent years. Statistics from the ACS show that the smoking rate has dropped significantly, from 42 percent in 1965 to 14 percent in 2017. Yet, there is still much work to be done. Some groups of Americans, such as those who have less education, who live below the poverty level, or who suffer from serious psychological distress, as well as certain racial and ethnic groups, and members who identify as LGBTQ+, suffer disproportionally from smoking-related illness and death, the organization says.
Stopping—and staying stopped—has immediate benefits
Quitting smoking isn’t easy. One huge plus to doing so is that the health results begin almost immediately and continue to improve over time. Here are some of the visible, tangible ways that smoking cessation pays off physically:
Other benefits? How about lowering the risk of diabetes, not to mention better-functioning blood vessels, heart, and lungs.
And you’ll live longer: The ACS says life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than that of non-smokers, and that quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90 percent. Quitting at any age can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.
Finally, food will taste better, your sense of smell will improve (not to mention how you and your clothes smell), and no more yellow teeth and fingernails! Also, the savings—smoking is an expensive habit, and getting pricier all the time. Use this calculator to crunch the numbers, and if nothing else motivates you to stop, then let the bottom line get you in the right frame of mind!
How to get help
Stopping smoking is hard, so getting help is important. Quitting cold turkey is tough, and your chances are much improved with support, counseling, medication or any combination of those. You’re dealing with a nicotine addiction, and so having a plan is vital. Here are some proven methods for success:
Telephone quitlines
The ACS’s Freshstart and Quit For Life programs
Nicotine Anonymous meetings
Self-help books and materials
Smoking counselors or coaches
Encouragement and support from friends and family members
It’s best to double up on these, using two or more for best results. For instance, prescription medicine alone with nicotine replacement. Or use them all—and best of luck!
HealthStream’s learning management system and healthcare training solutions support medical training initiatives and allow for the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceBe confident in your staff’s ability to reduce risk by providing compliance training that changes behavior.
View All ProductsDevelop next-level people for next-level care by prioritizing quality and safety improvements.
View All ProductsEstablish a culture of belonging with education supporting DEI, wellness, engagement, and leadership development.
View All ProductsUtilize patient access solutions and advanced reimbursement solutions to manage clinical denials and improve your organization’s reimbursement strategy.
View All ReimbursementExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ProductsOur competency development solutions personalize learning for clinicians to bridge the gap between theory and practice for your nurse residents.
View All ProductsEnhance maternal & child nursing care with solutions focused on improving the quality of care for mothers, infants, and children.
View All ProductsAddress staffing orientation challenges to easily achieve and maintain certification with our emergency and acute care training solutions.
View All ProductsAs a premier provider of healthcare education, we are committed to promoting safer, more successful surgical and sedation outcomes for each and every patient.
View All ProductsOur solutions are designed to cater to the needs of patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations dealing with illnesses or chronic conditions.
View All ProductsOnline clinical placement software allows schools, healthcare organizations, and students to seamlessly manage clinical and nursing rotations.
View All ProductsComprehensive, industry-leading provider onboarding and credentialing software that validates health outcomes and supports provider assessment.
View All CredentialingOur affordable CVO credentialing services establish patient safety by enabling primary source verification for your healthcare organization.
View All ProductsIntegrate with Epic to validate and add new providers directly to your provider master file.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare workforce management is essential. We provide advanced scheduling solutions for organizations to solve issues such as nurse retention
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