Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Pertaining to Lung Cancer Screening Among Primary Care Physicians in a Public Urban Health Network

Data regarding provider knowledge of lung cancer screening (LCS) treating underserved population is limited. We assessed the knowledge pertaining to lung cancer screening among providers of a public health system of Chicago. Of 152 respondents, 72% had adequate knowledge of LCS, but88% estimated they had screened < 50% of eligible patients. More provider experience, greater patient volumes, and family medicine training significantly predicted the ordering of LCS. Introduction: Lung cancer screening (LCS) with annual low-dose computed tomography in high-risk groups decreases the mortality related to lung cancer. Its implementation rate has been low, and knowledge relating to LCS has not been assessed in providers treating underserved populations. Materials and Methods: An institutional review board-approved anonymous survey was sent to primary care physicians of the Cook County Health system, a safetynet healthcare system. The survey assessed the knowledge pertaining to LCS guidelines, providers' experience with LCS, and their recommendations for quality improvement using 24 questions. The predictors of LCS within the previous 6 months were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 152 survey responses, 43% were from nontrainees with diverse training backgrounds. Adequate knowledge of LCS was demonstrated by 72% of the respondents, and pretest counseling was the domain most often answered incorrectly in the questionnaire. LCS had been ordered in the previous 6 months by 57% of the respondents. However, 88% estimated that they had screened < 50% of eligible patients. Higher patient volume, more experience, and family medicine training predicted for ordering LCS in the previous 6 months. In addition, 82.2% indicated that prompts in the electronic medical records would increase LCS, and 78.3% reported that receiving statistics about their LCS practice would increase LCS performance. Conclusions: Primary care physicians in the hospital healthcare system had reasonable knowledge of LCS, but the implementation rate was low. We have identified areas for improvement relating to LCS implementation. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.