Efficacy of standard nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) versus video-assisted nurse-led NRT on tobacco cessation: A randomized controlled pilot trial

Nicotine effectiveness has been tested in multiple forms to stop tobacco use. However, the evidence remains inconclusive for the efficacy of a single nicotine intervention. This study aims to test the efficacy of a nurse-led video-assisted nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to standard NRT on tobacco addiction and cessation among tobacco users. Randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing two study groups (41/group) with blinded follow-up at two and four weeks. A video-assisted nurse-led NRT and routine standard treatment groups are compared. A weekly call reminder was placed to the video-assisted nurse-led group to take nicotine gum/lozenge and to attend follow-up regularly. Primary endpoints at two and four weeks were self-reported addiction status and tobacco cessation. A standardized urine cotinine test was performed to validate self-reported addiction status at five weeks. Addiction status was significantly (p < 0.001) improved in the video-assisted nurse-led NRT group. A significant improvement was observed in importance (p < 0.001) to quit tobacco at two weeks of follow-ups. The participants in the nurse-led group enable to boost their readiness (p < 0.001) to quit tobacco at the second and fourth-week follow-ups. There was a significant reduction in urine cotinine levels at 5th week (OR: 2.79, CI 1.26–6.18) in the nurse-led NRT group. A video-assisted nurse-led nicotine replacement therapy found effective in reducing tobacco use. Developing culturally appropriate material and technology use can be a cost-effective means to curb the problem of tobacco and substance abuse.