More than 80% of cases of lung cancer, if detected early, are curable. Yet lung cancer screening rates are less than 6% nationwide and even lower in rural areas such as northern New England.
To help fix that problem, a team of lung health specialists at Dartmouth Health and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth has created a patient communications strategy and provider toolkit to increase awareness, make it easier to identify who is eligible for screening, and support patients in the process.
Conducted over a one-year period, the initiative has already made an impact. By addressing barriers at multiple levels, they have increased the chances that patients will talk to their doctors about lung cancer screening. Now, providers are better equipped with resources and training on lung cancer screening guidelines, shared decision-making, and tobacco cessation counseling. Through thoughtful rebranding and inclusive messaging, the team has worked to shift perceptions and empower patients to take an active role in their lung health.
New interventions designed to empower patients, support providers, and streamline the screening process include:
- renaming the “Pulmonary Nodule Clinic” to the “Lung Health and Pulmonary Nodule Clinic”—a simple yet effective change that made it less intimidating for patients.
- creating an educational patient brochure featuring inclusive and non-stigmatizing imagery and language, such as referring to “lung health” instead of “lung cancer.”
- reframing website messaging to a friendly approach that helps take the sense of blame off the individual and focuses on understanding nicotine addiction.
- improving the electronic health records system to make it easier for providers to identify patients who are eligible for screening based on “pack years” and receive a prompt to order screening in a more timely manner.
- updating the Dartmouth Cancer Center website with clear information on lung cancer screening and the benefits of quitting tobacco
- enabling the toolkit to be replicated in rural areas across the country
The team’s work was made possible by The Susan & Richard Levy Health Care Delivery Incubator, a joint venture between The Dartmouth Institute and Dartmouth Health that supports the creative thinking that turns small changes into big impact.
Read more about how this lung health team is overcoming the biggest barriers to life-saving screening.