Smoking cessation in cancer care in Alberta

Alberta Health Services – Cancer Care Alberta Smoking Cessation Services

Offers smoking cessation support to ambulatory patients with cancer:

• Front-line staff at cancer centres screen patients for tobacco use, advise them to quit smoking and refer patients to community-based smoking cessation services. Community-based smoking cessation services include the helpline (AlbertaQuits) and smoking cessation groups (QuitCore).
• Patients enrolled in a smoking cessation program or in some provincial social support programs are eligible for financial coverage of smoking cessation medications, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and prescription medications.

COVID-19 response: Cancer Care Alberta partnered with Alberta Health Services Tobacco Reduction Program to offer virtual group cessation programs (QuitCore) for patients with cancer.

Cancer patients’ access to smoking cessation support

In 2020, all 17 cancer centres in Alberta offered outpatients support to quit smoking; however, culturally appropriate supports for First Nations, Inuit and Métis patients with cancer were not yet available.

Partnership-funded project – Smoking cessation to optimize cancer outcomes project

Overall smoking cessation in cancer care implementation level: Silver

Category	Implementation criteria met	Level
Behavioural Counselling	Offers 3A (Ask, Advise, Act) or 5A (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) model	Bronze
Pharmacotherapy	Offers subsidized varenicline, bupropion and/or NRT	Silver
Person-Centered	Engages patients in program planning and gathers patient feedback	Silver
Culturally Competent	Offers staff cultural competency training	Bronze
Partnership	Works with a multi-disciplinary team and community partners	Silver
Indicator Measurement and Reporting	Collects and reports on adoption and reach data	Bronze

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