title: Counseling patients on the use of electronic cigarettes.
abstract: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have substantially increased in popularity. Clear evidence about the safety of e-cigarettes is lacking, and laboratory experiments and case reports suggest these products may be associated with potential adverse health consequences. The effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation is modest and appears to be comparable to the nicotine patch combined with minimal behavioral support. Although a role for e-cigarettes in the treatment of tobacco dependence may emerge in the future, the potential risk of e-cigarettes outweighs their known benefit as a recommended tobacco treatment strategy by clinicians. Patients should be counseled on the known efficacy and potential risks of e-cigarettes.
authors.affiliation: Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Healthcare Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Electronic address: ebbert.jon@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Jon O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Ebbert
authors.affiliation: Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Healthcare Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Amenah A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Agunwamba
authors.affiliation: Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Healthcare Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Lila J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rutten
mesh_terms: D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D004869:Equipment Safety; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D061485:Tobacco Use Cessation Devices; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome