Empowering tobacco users for improving outcomes: The transformative potential of shared decision making in tobacco cessation

Despite commendable efforts to reduce tobacco use over the last half-century, around 1.3 billion people still continue to consume tobacco products annually, resulting in more than 8 million fatalities worldwide.1 Tobacco usage and exposure cause premature death and illness globally.2 While there are several methods to help people stop smoking and get the health benefits that come with doing so, most smokers either relapse or needed sustained intervention for maintaining quit status.3 Current smoking cessation methods overlook patients' active participation in decision-making and rely only on medical or behavioural approaches directed by physician.4 A paradigm change toward shared decision making (SDM), on the other hand, has the potential to impact tobacco cessation efforts, empower patients, and provide better results.5 The SDM model is a healthcare approach that prioritizes patient involvement in medical decision-making processes, ultimately leading to patient-centred care.6 This model empowers individuals to actively participate in decisions that impact their health outcomes. The system functions on two fundamental principles. Firstly, well-informed consumers possess the ability and willingness to engage in the process of medical decision-making by posing informed inquiries and articulating their personal values and perspectives regarding their medical conditions and available treatment alternatives. Secondly, healthcare providers will acknowledge and prioritize the objectives and choices of their patients, utilizing them as a framework for advising and administering medical interventions. Overall, SDM supports autonomy by fostering strong connections, recognizing individual competence and interdependence underpinning self-determination and relational autonomy.7