The following is a summary of “Pilot Intervention to increase uptake of lung cancer screening through the emergency department,” published in the May 2024 issue of Emergency Medicine by Pettit, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to explore the viability of referring patients for lung cancer screening (LCS) from the emergency department (ED) to enhance LCS uptake.

Conducted as a single-arm pilot study at a large safety-net ED, patients with LCS-eligible were offered referral to the LCS clinic upon ED discharge. The primary outcome measured was the rate of patient engagement with the LCS clinic.

During the study period, 105 patients were approached, with 26 (24.8%) consenting to participate. Reasons for non-enrollment included lack of research interest (29, 27.6%), language barriers (10, 9.5%), and failure to meet pack-year criteria (40, 38.1%). Among those who consented, 17 (65.4%) connected with the LCS clinic, with 10 (38.5%) undergoing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans. Of these, 7 (26.9%) had undergone non-LDCT chest CT scans within the past year. Among the 9 patients who did not engage with the clinic, 4 (44.4%) were unreachable after three phone calls and a letter, 3 (33.3%) missed their scheduled appointments, and 2 (22.2%) faced delays due to COVID-19. Of the 17 patients who received CT scans during the study, none were normal; one (5.9%) had asymptomatic lung cancer, 7 (41.2%) had pulmonary nodules, 11 (64.7%) had emphysema, and 9 (52.9%) had coronary artery disease.

The study suggested the feasibility and initial efficacy of referring ED patients for LCS, highlighting the potential value of this approach in enhancing LCS uptake.

Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675724000792