Helping pregnant women kick the habit
HSE's new Stop Smoking service
For World No Tobacco Day (Tuesday, May 31), UL Hospitals Group and HSE Mid West Community Healthcare launched a new integrated Stop Smoking service for pregnant women who smoke.
The new dedicated service will be based at University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL), where almost 5,000 women access antenatal services per annum, and will be a ‘gateway’ for pregnant women to the HSE Quit Mid West service, which is free and available across Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary.
Almost 30 medical and midwifery staff at UMHL have been trained to identify the smokers among women attending antenatal appointments, and to offer advice as well as a carbon monoxide test and a referral to HSE Quit Mid West services in their communities. It is estimated that the initiative has the potential to support 400-500 pregnant women to quit smoking every year.
Eileen Ronan, Director of Midwifery, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, said: “I especially want to acknowledge the leadership of our midwifery team in the Antenatal Clinic in this new initiative. Early interventions around tobacco use with pregnant women who smoke can result in reduced risks of complications in pregnancy and birth.
“Babies are less likely to be born prematurely or to face the additional breathing, feeding and health problems that are often associated with premature birth. In additional, the risk of sudden infant death syndrome is reduced,” Ms Ronan added.
Approximately 10% of pregnant women in Ireland report that they smoke at the time of their first antenatal visit, and smoking cessation among pregnant women has been prioritised in the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme:
- Studies have shown that by using carbon monoxide monitoring during antenatal care, combined with an ‘opt-out’ referral to smoking cessation services, has doubled attendance at these services, and doubling the probability of mums-to-be having quit by the time their baby is born.
Martina Blake, national lead of the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme, said: “I'm delighted to see a dedicated stop smoking support service being established in University Maternity Hospital Limerick. We know that stopping smoking can be difficult due to the physical addiction and emotional attachment those who smoke have to tobacco, so it’s essential that we provide compassionate, non-judgemental, professional support to women to help them to quit during pregnancy and beyond. Stopping smoking is the single most important health behaviour change you can make which will have a positive health benefit for women and their babies within days of stopping. Establishing this new service is one of the key recommended actions in the recently published stop smoking clinical guidelines.”
Maria Bridgeman, Chief Officer of HSE Mid West Community Healthcare, added that this collaboration with University Maternity Hospital Limerick would ensure that pregnant women who smoke can easily access the HSE Quit Mid West service, which is free and available across Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.
“The HSE standard treatment support programme includes an initial assessment of all aspects of smoking behaviour, with follow up on the quit date and then weekly support during the first four weeks of quitting. Our Stop Smoking Advisors offer individualised support for pregnant women to quit, covering Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), carbon monoxide monitoring and practical support on changing routines, managing cravings and dealing with challenging moments,” Ms Bridgeman said. Noreen Spillane, Chief Operations Officer, UL Hospitals Group, said that while recording the smoking status of pregnant women and providing information on quitting smoking had long been done in the antenatal service at UMHL, the new partnership with HSE Quit Mid West was an exciting new development.
FURTHER DETAILS
Quit Mid West is a free HSE stop smoking service that helps people in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary. Should you or anyone you know wish to avail of this free HSE service or learn more, call 065-6865841 to speak with one of the team. Further information is also available from the HSE website.