A group of researchers from the University of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has found that clinicians can improve patient communication and potentially increase lung cancer screening program participation by personalizing the decision-making process.
Author Tanner J. Caverly, MD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, and colleagues designed a new tool, Lung Decision Precision, that helps clinicians communicate with patients about whether or not they should pursue low-dose CT lung cancer screening. They also developed a website that helps patients and their loved ones learn more about the risks and benefits associated with lung cancer screening.
“If a physician is not clear about the potential benefit for a patient who’s in the high-benefit zone, they could miss an opportunity to do something really good for them, to say, ‘I don’t recommend this for everyone but I recommend it for you,’” Caverly said in a University of Michigan press release. “But coming across strong for screening with a patient who has a fine balance of pros and cons could miss an opportunity to give them a choice, to tell them that their decision depends on the kind of person they are.”
Caverly and colleagues published their findings in a new a new study for Annals of Internal Medicine.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.