Dr. Lennes on Aspects of Lung Cancer Screening

Inga T. Lennes, MD, MBA, MPH, medical director, Ambulatory Services, director of clinical quality, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, discusses aspects of lung cancer screening.

There are two parts to lung cancer screening: the first part involves getting patients to the clinic and the second involves keeping the patients in screening rotation, says Lennes. Navigation personnel play a large role in ensuring patients follow the intended screening protocols. At Massachusetts General Hospital, access nurses serve as navigators in the Pulmonary Nodule Clinic. Having an access nurse has led to a 100% improvement in adherence to these protocols, she adds.

Additional data show that patients adhere to guideline recommendations for follow-up CT scans about half of the time. When a nurse navigator was added to the staff, the adherence rate surpassed 90%. Having the proper personnel in place to ensure that patients are not receiving duplicate services is another important component of a successful screening program, concludes Lennes.