What is Clinical Tobacco Intervention (CTI)?

The CTI Program is a cooperative effort between the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association (OPA) and the Ontario Dental Association (ODA). CTI provides a systematic approach to help medical, dental, and pharmacy professionals assist their patients to stop using tobacco products.

CTI provides an evidence-based approach to enhance the tobacco cessation interventions of health care practitioners, namely physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and their support staff, through the dissemination of education kits and continuing education programs.

Each association works to increase the awareness, role, and quality of CTI program delivery to their members.

Evaluation of program activities is essential to the success of CTI. To this end, pilot projects and surveys of professional groups are conducted.


	CTI Bulletin New Issue Nicotine Addiction
	Newly available from CTI Local Cessation Services 2008 update now complete
	NRT Retail Sales Tax Exemption Nicotine Replacement Therapy Products to be Exempt from Provincial Retail Sales Tax
	Varenicline New smoking cessation medication now available.
	Now Available - New Online Workshop! E-Learning Module - Youth and Smoking Cessation: Meeting the Challenges. To access the module please click the E-Learning tab on the left hand side and complete the registration information.
	New Feature! Now you can order CTI materials online! Select the 'Materials' tab and click on your association logo to activate the order form.
	Fee Code Flow Sheet - Click for PDF. Notice to General and Family Physicians: The flow sheet to accompany the smoking cessation fee codes is available for download. Use of the sheet is voluntary, and has been created to facilitate and doucument patient interventions.
	No Show and Cancellation Policy CTI has implemented a “No Show and Cancellation” policy.
	Two of the most popular CTI resources are now available in French! Click above to find out more!
	RNAO e-learning module On-line training for health care professionals interested in helping patients stop smoking is now available at no charge.
	Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty adopted in May 2003. The first-ever global health treaty was recently adopted by the governing body of the World Health Organization.
	New Database presents the facts on the global tobacco epidemic. see details
	American Heart Association Guidelines for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke: 2002 Update…
	Important tips for helping pregnant patients who use tobacco. see details
	Want to order more Blue Booklets?

How does CTI work?

Through education and promotion, CTI provides health care practitioners with tools to identify tobacco users and assist patients in their attempts to quit.

What are the principles of CTI?

ASK - patients about smoking status.
ADVISE - patients about the health risks of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting.
ASSESS - patients’ readiness to quit.
ASSIST - patients that are ready to quit.
ARRANGE - follow up.

These principles can be applied through comprehensive intervention or minimal contact intervention, which is a brief two-to-three minute intervention also applying the above principles of CTI to a patient who smokes.

Why is CTI important?

In Canada, approximately 37,000 deaths per year are attributable to smoking. Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death and disease in Canada. It is estimated that smoking prematurely kills three times more Canadians than car accidents, suicides, drug abuse, murder and AIDS combined. In 1991, smoking-related deaths accounted for about 62% of the overall increase in deaths from 1989.

In 1991, smoking accounted for an estimated $2.5 billion in health care costs, $1.5 billion for residential care costs, $2 billion from workers’ absenteeism and $10.5 billion in lost future earnings, totaling $16.5 billion. Research indicates that health care professionals can play a significant role in patients’ smoking cessation efforts and that patients themselves are receptive to such advice and assistance.

History of CTI

The Clinical Tobacco Intervention Program began in 1996 at the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Association and two other provincial medical associations.

In 1999, the OMA joined with the OPA and ODA and submitted the proposal “Mobilizing Ontario Health Care Professionals for Clinical Tobacco Intervention” that received funding from the Government of Ontario.


Funding for this program has been provided, in part, by the Government of Ontario.