Doctors should advise smokers on using e-cigarettes, says NICE

GPs should offer advice to patients who smoke about using e-cigarettes containing nicotine, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said.

New guidance published on 28 March acknowledges that the evidence on e-cigarettes “is still developing, including evidence on the long-term health impact.”1

But, in an update to existing NICE guidance, it advises GPs engaging with patients who smoke to “offer advice on using nicotine-containing products on general sale, including nicotine replacement therapy and nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.”

NICE said that it had updated its recommendations to reflect changes in current practice, noting the increasing number …