The National Health Service (NHS) should consider working with reputable vape shops to help smokers quit, according to a new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA), funded by Cancer Research UK.
The research team undertook interviews with 40 people who switched to e-cigarettes to quit smoking. They also worked with 6 shops in a range of locations to observe interactions between staff and customers.
The findings, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health today (Friday, February 9), revealed that vape shops provide behavioural support which could help people stop smoking and remain smoke free, and that health professionals could benefit from understanding the role that vape shops play in reducing smoking.
The study authors concluded that health professionals could capitalise on the success of vape shops by working in partnership to ensure the best outcomes for patients.
"Vape shops could be very valuable allies to the NHS in the fight against smoking,” Principal Investigator of the study, Dr Caitlin Notley, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said.
"Health professionals should consider engaging with the local vaping community to avoid referring clients to shops offering poor customer service or inappropriate sales driven advice. Likewise smoking cessation training for shops could be beneficial,” she added.
The findings come just days after Public Health England published update evidence, saying “there is compelling evidence that e-cigarettes be made available to NHS patients”.
