The STOP Program has a series of Quality Improvement initiatives that address tobacco use and other comorbid issues. See below to learn about some of our past work. This page will be updated, please come back soon to learn more.
Combined Alcohol and Tobacco (CombAT)
Tobacco use is significantly associated with cancer risk; people who smoke and drink alcohol above recommended low-risk guidelines are at greater risk of developing certain types of cancer, including mouth, throat and esophagus. The CombAT study aimed to test the effectiveness of a web-based clinical decision support system (CDSS) to enable primary health care providers in the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Program -funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health- to address risky alcohol consumption among adult smokers making a quit attempt.
Update: this study has concluded. Please visit our publications page to read more.
Mood Management
Individuals with depression are almost twice as likely to be smokers, achieve lower long-term smoking abstinence, and experience greater addiction severity and negative mood when making a quit attempt. Approximately, 38% of patient enrolled in the STOP program have current or past depression; 6-month quit rates that are significantly lower than patients without depression (33% vs. 40%). Since the launch of the Mood Management initiative in 2018, the STOP portal has offered features to support health care providers in the delivery of brief interventions and educational resources to patients presenting risk of depression or depressive symptoms - in order to improve their smoking cessation success.
To download our patient resource for managing mood click here.
For questions regarding the Mood Management initiative, please contact: MoodInitiative@camh.ca.