Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2026
Language
English
Document Type
DNP Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Sharon Blackerby, DNP, RN, CNE, NPD-BC, NI-BC, CPHQ
Abstract
Smoking is the number one cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. For patients undergoing cancer treatment, continued tobacco use poses serious risks. In surgical oncology, smoking is associated with poorer treatment outcomes, increased postoperative complications, delayed wound healing, and higher mortality. For patients requiring reconstructive surgery, smoking-related complications can be devastating, sometimes resulting in significant wound complications or loss of the reconstruction. Despite these well-established risks, smoking cessation interventions are not consistently integrated into clinical practice.
To address this gap, a quality improvement project was implemented to strengthen smoking cessation efforts among advanced practice providers (APPs) in an inpatient surgical oncology setting. The project introduced a standardized smoking cessation bundle that incorporated the Ask, Advise, Act (3As) framework, targeted APP education, and integration of electronic health record (EHR) tools to support consistent screening and intervention. These tools enabled providers to document smoking status assessments, place nursing orders for patient education, and submit electronic referrals to an inpatient smoking cessation program. Following implementation, smoking assessments, cessation education orders, and referrals increased, and APP knowledge of smoking cessation practices improved. These findings demonstrate that structured workflows and provider education can help translate evidence-based smoking cessation practices into routine clinical care. Integrating systematic smoking cessation strategies into cancer care is a critical step toward reducing preventable complications and improving outcomes for patients with cancer.
Keywords
smoking cessation, cancer patients, surgery, quality improvement, advanced practice providers, tobacco screening, inpatient, electronic health record
Disciplines
Family Practice Nursing | Other Nursing | Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
tenCate, Crystal, "Ask, Advise, and Act: A Smoking Cessation Bundle for Cancer Patients" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects-Archive. 121.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/nursing_dnpprojects/121
Included in
Family Practice Nursing Commons, Other Nursing Commons, Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing Commons