Clinical guidance for e-cigarette (vaping) cessation: Results from a modified Delphi panel approach

Abstract

Individuals seek help to stop their use of e-cigarettes from their healthcare practitioners. However, there is a paucity of published work addressing e-cigarette cessation methods empirically, and what evidence that is available is weak. Therefore, we developed an expert informed clinical resource to guide practitioners helping their clients quit using e-cigarettes. We conducted a modified Delphi process between September and December 2021 to reach consensus on clinical recommendations for e-cigarette cessation. Expert and Peer Panel members (n = 28) voted and provided feedback on the recommendations through three rounds of structured surveys, a discussion board, and one intermediate survey. The penultimate knowledge products underwent usability testing and were finalized based on user feedback. The Expert Panel maintained a 100% response rate for rounds 1 and 2 and 96% for round 3; the Peer Panel achieved a 100% response rate for all three rounds of the modified Delphi process. Consensus was reach on 24 recommendations and 2 statements spanning eight domains: severity and dependence; general approaches; treatment approaches; dual use; pharmacotherapy strategies; behavioural therapy strategies; harm reduction; and relapse prevention. Two additional ‘no agreement’ statements that did not reach consensus are included in the guidance resource. The recommendations were also contextualized for the following groups: adults; youth; people who are pregnant, breastfeeding and/or chestfeeding; and people with mental illness and/or substance use issues. The recommendations listed in the resource provide general clinical guidance on e-cigarette cessation to assist healthcare practitioners in the treatment planning process.