The effects of offering a disposable EC versus NRT on smoking cessation outcomes: a retrospective community pharmacy study.

Background: E-cigarettes (EC) are now a viable alternative to traditional pharmacotherapies for supporting a quit attempt, with increasing evidence demonstrating their efficacy for smoking cessation and are the most popular quitting aid within the UK. However, their effectiveness within a community pharmacy stop smoking service (SSS) has received limited attention. Therefore, the effectiveness of offering a disposable EC with and/or without nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) compared to NRT alone, on both 4-6 week and 12-week quit rates in adult smokers attending a community pharmacy within the UK, was explored.
Methods: A non-randomised between subjects retrospective design was employed involving 1488 smokers willing to quit (835 = female; age = 41.98, SD= 11.31). Smokers choose either an EC, EC + NRT (EC condition) or NRT alone (NRT condition), alongside standard behavioural support.
Results: Overall quit rates at 4- weeks were 57%; 56% for those in the EC condition and 61% for those in the NRT condition. At 12 -weeks overall quit rates 30%; 30% in the EC condition and 32% in the NRT. There were no significant differences between conditions at either follow up period.
Conclusions: Four-week quit rates were in line with the UK national average. Offering a disposable EC showed to have comparable quit rates with those who received only NRT both at 4-6 and 12 weeks and that given the choice a significantly large number of smokers choose to use an EC within their cessation attempt within a community pharmacy setting.