International best practice in the management and cessation of vaping and recreational nicotine use, and barriers, facilitators and treatment preferences: A rapid review protocol

Background The use of electronic cigarettes, also known as ‘vapes’, has more than doubled in Ireland in recent years, and has been accompanied by the arrival of other alternative forms of recreational nicotine use. There is ample evidence that many vape users want to quit. However, in the absence of widely available and evidence-based cessation and management services that are tailored to these products, individuals may struggle to become nicotine-free. The development of effective services which target these behaviours must also be sensitive to the factors which influence their successful implementation. Aim This rapid review seeks to evaluate the extent to which interventions that address the management and cessation of vaping and recreational nicotine use align with best practice, as well as to understand the key barriers, facilitators and patient-reported treatment preferences that have been reported in the literature. Methods A rapid review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines will be conducted. Three electronic databases of peer-reviewed journal articles and one electronic database of grey literature will be searched for reports of interventions for the management and cessation of vaping and recreational nicotine products, published since 2003. Relevant data will be extracted and presented using a narrative synthesis. An evaluation of the extent to which included interventions align with best practice will also be conducted. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required for this review. The protocol for the rapid review, as well as the resulting report of its findings, will be submitted to a scientific journal for peer review. This research was commissioned by HSE Tobacco Free Ireland. A variety of knowledge users will be engaged with to disseminate the findings, in collaboration with our partners at the Health Service Executive.