In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) revealed a promising trend in smoking rates among pregnant women during the 2021-2022 period. At the time of birth, the smoking rate hit a historic low of 9.1%, marking a notable drop from the 2019 rate of 10.6%1.
In Somerset, a smoking cessation pregnancy programme called Mums2Be Smokefree had to replace all in-person appointments with telephone support in 2020 due to COVID-19. In 2021, face-to-face appointments were reinstated but the number of sessions had been reduced. This led to the creation of a 12-month pilot study spanning from April 2021 to April 2022, which included the iCOquit® Smokerlyzer®, a personal Bluetooth® carbon monoxide (CO) device manufactured by Bedfont® Scientific Ltd. There were 58 participants, aged 18 to 30 years old, enrolled in the pilot study and each person was issued an iCOquit® device through Mums2Be Smokefree. They were given the device either at 4 weeks (34%) or 12 weeks (66%) into their pregnancy, followed by a semi-structured survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the iCOquit® device from the patient’s perspective.
Study’s finding for iCOquit® and CO testing
Face-to-face CO readings were conducted to validate quit rates, and no discrepancies were reported. At 4 weeks, an impressive 96.55% of participants had successfully quit smoking, and at 12 weeks into the smoking programme, 94.83% of patients had quit smoking.
The implementation of the iCOquit® device not only tracked quit attempts but also significantly minimised the loss of follow-up appointments, with 1.72% at the 12-week mark. The voucher incentive plan for those who quit smoking increased by 828.95% (from 38 to 353 vouchers) from 2020 to 2021. The pilot study resulted in a 26.79% increase in attendance to first appointments with the Mums2Be Smokefree programme. With specific spikes of 15.35% at 4 weeks, and 3.47% at 12 weeks.
Study’s impact on CO testing
The outcomes of the study highlighted the impactful role of iCOquit® in equipping patients with the skills to quit smoking and maintain their journey throughout their pregnancy and post-partum when they were unavailable to meet face-to-face with their smoking practitioner.
Of the participants, half engaged in a brief survey focused on iCOquit®. When asked, “How helpful do you feel the iCOquit® has been to support you not smoking”, respondents expressed a high level of satisfaction, with 55.2% finding iCOquit® very helpful and 41.4% considering it somewhat helpful. When asked, “In what (if any way) did you find the iCOquit® useful to support you not smoking”, 51.72% found the visual results on the phone were supportive of their quit, 31% found the motivation to quit helped them most, 13.8% found the ease of monitoring efficiency at home most helpful, and 3.45% answered goal setting.
The consensus between participants and smoking practitioners on the value of iCOquit® is clear. Providing instant results accessible from anywhere, iCOquit® has not only empowered participants but also streamlined face-to-face appointments with smoking practitioners. The successful integration of iCOquit® into the practices of Mums2Be Smokefree further underscores its significance in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of smoking cessation support.
“The combination of the ICOquit® and an advisor (Stop Smoking Practitioner) is what helped me to quit”
(Service user, 2022)
With an easy-to-use, handheld, home CO device, Bedfont® can help users become smoke-free with instant results shown by a motivational traffic light system. The iCOquit® also offers the ability to take a reading anytime, anywhere, allowing a practitioner to offer remote motivation and sustained support. To find out more about how you can support patients with smoking cessation, visit https://www.icoquit.com/
Read the full Evaluation Report here:
https://fabnhsstuff.net/storage/iCO-Monitor-Evaluation-Report-FINAL-12082022-643fa275e1b5d.pdf
References:
- NHS helps thousands of pregnant smokers kick the habit [Internet] NHS England. 2022. [Cited Monday 9th September 2023]. Available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2022/07/nhs-helps-thousands-of-pregnant-smokers-kick-the-habit/