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Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the subjective experiences of consumers and staff members regarding the availability of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in inpatient mental health units.

Methods

Mental health consumers and staff members (n = 16) from rehabilitation and forensic inpatient units were interviewed in 2022. Thematic analysis of the transcripts was undertaken.

Results

Our study identified four themes: The high salience of nicotine use in inpatient units, delivering nicotine in a resource scarce environment, weighing up the harms of ENDS as a smoking cessation tool, and a need for fair and consistent policy.

Conclusions

The main positive aspects identified were recognition of rights of consumers, a relative harm reduction compared to tobacco use, and ENDS as a positive factor in the therapeutic relationship. The main challenges identified were resourcing issues, ENDS being a potential source of tension and conflict and a lack of overarching policy guiding their use.

Keywords

mental health inpatient psychiatry smoking vaping nicotine

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