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The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) Clinical Practice Guideline on Smoking Cessation states that “All physicians should strongly advise every patient who smokes to quit.” Randomized clinical trials have shown that physician advice to quit smoking by itself improves cessation rates by 30%.⁶³ Physicians can further aid smokers by recommending nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to their patients to aid in their quit attempts.⁶³ NRT has been shown to be efficacious in helping smokers quit. In fact, the data to support the efficacy of NRT are strong enough that the AHCPR recommends the following to physicians: “Patients should be encouraged to use nicotine replacement therapy (patch or gum) for smoking cessation, except in the presence of special circumstances (e.g., cardiovascular disease, pregnancy).” The public health impact of treating smokers is enormous. It has been estimated that …