SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Save the Lungs- A Quality Improvement Project in a Residents' Clinic

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“Save the Lungs” was a quality improvement project in a residents’ clinic at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center aimed at increasing smoking cessation counseling and lung cancer screening among eligible patients, following USPSTF recommendations.<br /><br />The team reviewed electronic medical records from August to November 2020 and collected data on smoking history documentation, smoking cessation counseling, and low-dose CT (LDCT) screening orders. They also surveyed barriers to care. To improve performance, they held educational sessions on smoking history documentation and lung cancer screening guidelines, distributed Georgia Quit Line and lung cancer awareness handouts, started a pharmacist-led smoking cessation clinic, added a best practice advisory to the EMR, and applied for a grant to support LDCT screening.<br /><br />Before the intervention, 526 of 805 patients (65.3%) had smoking history documented, 229 of 417 (54.9%) were counseled for smoking cessation, and 32 of 105 eligible patients (30.4%) had LDCT ordered. After the intervention, smoking history documentation improved to 710 of 1004 patients (70.7%). However, smoking cessation counseling slightly decreased to 284 of 573 patients (49.5%), and LDCT orders increased modestly to 43 of 145 eligible patients, without a statistically significant improvement.<br /><br />The project concluded that the intervention significantly improved smoking history documentation, but did not produce significant gains in counseling or LDCT ordering, likely due to changes in lung cancer screening guidelines, the short intervention period, and a small sample size. The project also resulted in a grant for LDCT for uninsured patients, continued pharmacist-led cessation support, and implementation of the EMR advisory.

Asset Subtitle

Prakash Adhikari

Meta Tag

Author List Ghalia Al Azmeh, Grace O. Olatunji, Jeesanul Haq, Julian Hawkins, Prakash Adhikari, Rafael Da Silva, Shreyas Singireddy, Tanner Martin, Tochukwu M. Duru, Zahraa Rabeeah

Category Research

Concept Quality Improvement Project

Concept Smoking History Documentation

Concept Smoking Cessation Counseling

Concept Low-Dose Computed Tomography

Concept Lung Cancer Screening

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Tower Health-Reading Hospital

Presenting Author Prakash Adhikari

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

smoking cessation

lung cancer screening

low-dose CT

quality improvement

electronic medical records

USPSTF guidelines

smoking history documentation

residents clinic

pharmacist-led clinic

best practice advisory

Quality Improvement Project

Smoking History Documentation

Smoking Cessation Counseling

Low-Dose Computed Tomography

Lung Cancer Screening