Identifying Primary Care Patients at High Risk for Lung Cancer: A Quality Improvement Study.

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Oncology
• Preventive Medicine
• Quality Improvement in Healthcare

Background:

• Millions of high-risk Americans remain unscreened for lung cancer annually, despite existing guidelines.
• Adherence to lung cancer screening recommendations remains a significant challenge in primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a quality improvement initiative aimed at increasing lung cancer screening rates.
• To identify high-risk individuals for lung cancer using a standardized screening tool.
• To facilitate low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan orders for eligible, at-risk patients.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement team provided education to primary care providers on utilizing a lung cancer screening tool during annual physical examinations.
• Eligible patients identified as high-risk were offered an LDCT scan order for early lung cancer detection.
• Pre- and post-intervention data were collected to assess changes in LDCT scan ordering rates.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant increase in LDCT scan orders was observed post-intervention.
• The screening tool enhanced the comprehensive assessment of patients' smoking status, improving the identification of at-risk individuals.
• While scan orders did not increase, the tool's utility in risk identification was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The implemented quality improvement project did not achieve a statistically significant increase in lung cancer screening via LDCT scans.
• Utilizing a dedicated screening tool can improve the identification of patients eligible for lung cancer screening.
• Further strategies may be needed to translate improved risk identification into increased screening rates.