Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch at the 13th Indian Photobiology Society Science Talk
It was a great opportunity to talk on the SCIENCE BEHIND TOBACCO ADDICTION AND CESSATION to the scientific community at the 13th virtual Talk in the ‘Indian Photobiology Society Science Talk’ on 30th March, 2024 (Saturday) at 7.00 PM (IST).
QUITTING TOBACCO IS A CHALLENGE! QUITTING TOBACCO IS A SCIENCE!!! People quit to relapse. Tobacco is the most dreaded disease of the present time, killing 8 million people every year. In a recent survey (data being analyzed in detail) conducted by me on the prevalence and willingness to quit tobacco amongst doctors, it was found that most doctors despite the knowledge about tobacco, failed to quit tobacco. Extrapolating the same for the general population it is understood that the quit rate is dismal. There has to be an understanding of how to improve the quit rate.
Tobacco addiction is now recognized as a disease, with its own pathology. Like any other disease, a scientific approach to understanding its intricacies is essential for effective treatment and cessation strategies. Organizations, ICanCaRe have been at the forefront, developing digitalized scientific interventions that address the social, psychological, and physical aspects of tobacco addiction through the ABCD holistic intervention model, leading to successful outcomes. However, further study and standardization of intervention models are crucial for achieving a mass effect and widespread impact with successful outcome.
The Science behind tobacco addiction and cessation is for understanding the intricacies and involvement of a scientific cessation process aiming to unravel its complexities and pave the way for a more scientific approach to a successful cessation processes.
Prof. Nitin Chattopadhyay, President, Indian Photobiology Society presided over the meeting and C. Sinha, Secretary, Indian Photobiology Society & Professor, Department of Chemistry, Jadavpur University, Kolkata; M-7044231277 conducted the meeting.
TOBACCO CESSATION PROMOTION SCHOLARSHIP 2023 – BATCH MAY 2023
GUJARAT UNIVERSITY – ORIENTATION COURSE IN TOBACCO CESSATION CERTIFICATE COURSE Scholarship BATCH OF MAY 2023 Conducted by ICanCaRe Academy
We welcome the sixth Scholarship batch of 2022-23 for the Gujarat University Accredited ORIENTATION COURSE IN TOBACCO CESSATION certificate course (www.icancare.in/academy/octc).
The Scholarship (www.icancare.in/academy/scholarship) to promote Capacity Building for Tobacco Cessation and Oral Care is funded by Bajaj Electricals Foundation through the I CAN WIN Foundation a part of the capacity building for tobacco cessation and oral cancer control #SAVEtheyouth campaign.
The Orientation Course in Tobacco Cessation (OCTC) is a step towards learning the intricacies of the complex tobacco cessation intervention. It is an intensive 4 weeks course with 8 hours of exclusive live sessions online 2 hours once a week.
The participants of the course are exposed to practical clinically validated digitalized protocol to set up or scale up tobacco cessation practice and have the opportunity to:
Opportunities to initiate research with Gujarat University.
Join the growing network of India’s 1000+ topmost Cessation experts.
The 6th BAJAJ OCTC batch is of selected doctors from various disciplines – dental, Head and neck oncologist, Surgical oncology, Psychiatry, ENT, Psychology, Radiotherapy etc. Interestingly we have representation from the Cacher Cancer Hospital, the rural cancer hospital in the North East.
TOBACCO CESSATION PROMOTION SCHOLARSHIP 2022-23. To apply for the Scholarship http://www.icancare.in/academy/scholarship or WA 6309437912. Only limited seats are available for eligible candidates.
Quitting Tobacco Strategy and Capacity Building – ICanCaRe Protocol
Quitting tobacco is frustrating. And for a healthcare professional it is a challenge! Every day whatever discipline one is practicing, tobacco users, do visit your clinic. Most of the symptoms the patient has are also related to tobacco use – smoking, chewing, or vaping. The outcome of treatment is compromised if the person continues to use tobacco, thus losing trust with the patient.
It is also seen that a doctor who addresses the issue of tobacco with the patient and goes the extra mile in guiding the person to quit tobacco gains instant recognition from the patient and family. By doing this the doctor does gain directly and indirectly better value in society and definitely more clientele.
268 million people in India use tobacco in some form. The numbers are increasing every day. WHO reports that 70% of educated people who have taken tobacco for a substantial time wish to quit tobacco. They try it unsuccessfully by themselves and frustrated look for support from medical professionals. Medical professionals need to be skilled in tobacco cessation.
I am an Oncosurgeon, practicing for 27 years now. 70 % of my patient are tobacco addicts, as is the case with all other medical professionals, except a few branches. My initial intervention was restricted to just asking the person to quit tobacco. Beyond that I did not know, referring to the psychiatry department was not agreeable, and more importantly, the low quit rate was not acceptable. So, my journey into tobacco cessation began with a deeper understanding of the psychosocial and physical patterns of tobacco addiction and coming up with a successful ICanCaRe intervention model. ICanCaRe launched a comprehensive tobacco control program as SAVE the Youth Campaign.
QUITTING TOBACCO – is now easy
Tobacco addiction is multifactorial. The skill lies in assessing each of the components and balancing the issue with the patient. The intervention is individualized and is not a copycat prescription for all. The most important roadblock for every patient is the “Fear of Failure”. ICanCaRe incorporated all the components into digital format http://app.icancare.in and made it simple, scalable, and saleable. The balance lies in managing withdrawals, cravings, suffering, societal pressure, and managing medical issues. This intervention process is simplified as “ABCD of Tobacco CESSATION” which is Active Motivation, Behavioural intervention, Co-morbidity management, and Drugs and medications like Nicotine-Acetylcholine receptor agonists and supplements.
ICanCaRe E-pharmacy for tobacco medications is available to ensure timely doorstep delivery of the medications to ensure compliance. And more recently multilingual virtual clinics have been introduced to help guide remote patients. Quit tobacco is now just a call away – 011-43077695.
The ICanCaRe standardized protocol for cessation has been designed, piloted, and implemented to help individuals quit any form of tobacco and smoking with ease. This protocol is tailored to suit the individuals’ needs and habits so that adapting to the tobacco-free routine is easy and simple. More details are available at www.icancare.in/quittobacco.
Quitting tobacco is now available, feasible, and effective!
CAPACITY BUILDING – ICanCaRe Academy
Capacity building is the absolute need of the hour so that the HCPs are readily available across every corner of the country to offer help for a cessation to their patients. Every hospital needs to establish a dedicated cessation center with a dedicated team to offer assistance in quitting and oral examination.
ICanCaRe Academy – introduced the Certified Tobacco Cessation courses accredited with GUJARAT UNIVERSITY to train doctors and health care workers across India. Lots of trained skilled HCP and Tobacco cessation clinics are needed across India. Tobacco MARSHALs in society are trained influencers who motivate people to SAVE the youth. www.icancare.in/academy
The pillar of success for the program lies in visibly, available skilled and networked Health Care Professionals following a reproducible digitalized intervention for a successful outcome.
At ICanCaRe we are committed to SAVE the youth by sensitization, assisting them to quit, Volunteer Training, and Enforcing tobacco control.
ICanCaRe is here to stay with its innovative 360-degree intervention for tobacco cessation.
Collaboration and synergizing together are the way ahead to putting an end to this pandemic. ICanCaRe is open for collaborations with institutions, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and tech-based institutions to amplify cessation across the country.
(The Author – Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. is Director of Surgical Oncology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali. Patparganj and Noida. He authored the book – Win Over Tobacco Made Easy, Be Smart Do Not Start and is highly recognized for his work on Oral Cancer and Tobacco Cessation. He is the convenor for the Certified Course in Tobacco Cessation at Gujarat University. He launched the #SAVEtheyouth campaign and Tobacco MARSHALs in the community)
