Substance use resources for health professionals
Health care providers can significantly impact the lifestyle choices of their clients. You can use these tools and resources when working with your clients to help improve their health.
Clinical tools
- CAMH: resources to help you address your clients’ unique needs.
- Vaping assessment tools
- CAN-ADAPTT best practice guidelines: developed to support health care practitioners in reducing patient tobacco use and dependence.
- Lower-risk nicotine use guidelines: share the current state of evidence on tobacco and other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes.
- Vaping cessation guidance resource: developed to help healthcare providers support their clients (adults and youth) who want to quit vaping.
- Pharmacotherapy algorithm
Additional resources
Don’t quit quitting - the 3A’s
Integrating the 3A's into daily practice significantly increases quit attempts:
- Ask all clients about smoking and vaping at every visit
- Advise clients to consider quitting
- Act by providing support or referring to other services
Canadian Pediatric Society
Provides their position statement on vaping, information for parents, and vaping education including a resource for health care professionals on counselling adolescents and parents about vaping.
Supports for reduction and cessation
Smoker’s Helpline – make a referral
Access to a quit coach from the Canadian Cancer Society for patients who consent to counselling and follow-up.
Patient Referral to the Nicotine Dependence Clinic
At the CAMH Nico Dependence Clinic, support is provided to people who are interested in changing their tobacco use
QUASH
A free smoking and vaping cessation program developed by the Lung Health Foundation for youth and emerging adults (ages 14 to 30). It consists of 4 program elements:
- Curated website and resources
- Mobile app
- Facilitator training for allies
- Coaching
Clinical tools
Canada’s lower risk cannabis use guidelines
Health Canada recommendations to help individuals lower the health risks of cannabis use.
Canadian Pediatric Society
Provides their position statements and practice points on cannabis, information for parents, and cannabis education including a resource for health care professionals on counselling adolescents and parents about cannabis.
Supports for dependence
CAMH referral form
Provides a wide range of clinical care services for patients of all ages and families who are struggling with mental health or substance use.
ConnexOntario
Provides information about mental health, gambling, and addiction services available both within and outside their community. It is a free service offering support through phone, chat, text, and email for people in Ontario. Alcohol Use, Screening and Detection
Clinical tools
Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction
- Alcohol guidance, tools and resources
- Screening tools: A list of screening tools that vary by length, priority population and substances and health issues for which they screen.
- Brief intervention resources: short, motivational one-on-one conversations between healthcare providers and patients that are used to support individuals to understand their current drinking patterns and make attainable changes in drinking behaviour.
CAMH
- Assessment, treatment, tools and resources
- Screening: describes 4 steps to detect unhealthy alcohol use.
Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health
- Overview: provides people living in Canada with information they need to make well-informed and responsible decisions about their alcohol consumption.
- Drinking less is better infographic: summarizes the key messages from Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health.
- Posters and brochures: offer concise, image-based explanations of the risks and harms of alcohol consumption on an increasing scale, as well as tips to reduce those risks. For use in office or for distribution.
- Final report: provides people living in Canada with the information they need to make well-informed and responsible decisions about their alcohol consumption.