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Using Very Brief Advice (VBA) to discuss smoking

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Very Brief Advice (VBA) guide

Click here to view our VBA guide

VBA is a quick and effective way to discuss smoking with your patients. It can be used in any consultation and allows you to offer practical advice in 30 seconds1.

"The delivery of VBA is an indispensable tool to drive down smoking rates and reduce the gap in life expectancy in population groups."

- Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation2

A survey of UK GPs by Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation (BLF) found that2:

  • Over 50% of GPs had not received any training in VBA

  • Only 2% of GPs had received comprehensive training in VBA

  • Only 8% of GPs deliver VBA daily

  • The NCSCT offers a short, free, online training module on VBA, which is recommended by NICE guidance2,3.

  • Prescribe combination NRT to help your patients quit. Combination NRT 25% more effective than single NRT4.

RR: 1.25, 95% Cl: 1.15-1.36: anticipated absolute effects: quit rates with monotherapy 139 per 1000, quit rates with combination NRT 174 per 10004

"By training all frontline teams in VBA, clinicians will be equipped to play their part in ending smoking for good."

- Asthma UK and the BLF2

Very brief advice (VBA)

Very brief advice (VBA) allows you to offer practical advice about stopping smoking in 30 seconds or less. It can be used in any consultation and allows you to quickly to update patients records1.

Very brief advice on smoking

Click here to view our quick VBA guide

Additional resources to support discussions with those wanting to quit

  • National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT). Very Brief Advice on Smoking

Click here to read

  • Public Health England. Stop smoking options: guidance for conversations with patients

Click here to read

  • National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT). Local Stop Smoking Services. Service and delivery guidance 2014

Click here to read

Page Last Updated

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Category

Smoking Cessation Training Materials

References:

1. National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) Publications. Very brief advice on Smoking (VBA+). October 2021.

2. Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation. A breath of fresh air: Research into the training needs of UK GPs onVery Brief Advice for smoking cessation. January 2021. Available here. Accessed: November 2022.

3. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence. NG209.

4. Lindson, et al Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019.

Click here for NICORETTE® prescribing information