E-cigarette use is a concept that is gaining fame as a method that can facilitate an individual to quit smoking. Their adoption in programs for smoking cessation especially among young adults and adolescents is viewed in some quarters as a revolutionary process that will significantly help in managing this health issue (Johnson & Pennington, 2015). The importance of e-cigarette in such programs is that it provides the patient with an alternative to the cigarette which is deemed less harmful and easier to let go at the point when the patient feels ready to quit. One of the major challenges for smokers is that their dependent on nicotine cannot be cut short in an instant this making the quit process a long and delicate one that can be challenges by a relapse (Bhatnagar, Whitsel, Ribisl, Bullen, Chaloupka, Piano & Benowitz, 2014).
E-cigarette is an option that provides the patient with the nicotine content that is required without necessarily having to impact on the respiratory system. It is considered safer than smoking. Despite these potential benefits, there is little evidence to suggest that these benefits will be visible in the long run. For the RN, when managing a patient for the smoking cessation, it is important to explore the myths, truths and falsehoods that are associated with e-cigarette. On one hand the RN has to assure the patient and the family that e-cigarette has a potential to become even more addictive for the patient and that while it provides a less harmful method, it has nicotine content which is no different from the normal cigarette (Johnson & Pennington, 2015).
On the other hand, the limited evidence available suggests that e-cigarettes have not been regarded as having the capability to reduce the smoking in adolescents but rather to facilitate the process. The RBN has to focus on explaining to the patient and the family that smoking cessation is more about behavioral change and the social support that the patient is afforded in the short term and the long term as they struggle to cope with the change. Therefore, beyond the integration of the e-cigarette, the smoking cessation process should focus on the primary goal of quitting as opposed to seeking a less harmful alternative whose intensity of harm has not been investigated yet (Bhatnagar, Whitsel, Ribisl, Bullen, Chaloupka, Piano & Benowitz, 2014).
References
Johnson, M., & Pennington, N. (2015). Adolescent use of electronic cigarettes: an emergent health concern for pediatric nurses. Journal of pediatric nursing, 30(4), 611-615.
Bhatnagar, A., Whitsel, L. P., Ribisl, K. M., Bullen, C., Chaloupka, F., Piano, M. R., & Benowitz, N. (2014). Electronic cigarettes a policy statement from the american heart association. Circulation, 130(16), 1418-1436.
