The following is a summary of “Implementation of an Electronic Medical Record Alert Significantly Increases Lung Cancer Screening Uptake,” published in the August 2024 issue of Oncology by Park et al.

Early detection of lung cancer markedly enhances survival rates, yet the uptake of lung cancer screening (LCS) remains low, even with strong national recommendations. This study aimed to assess whether the implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) alert and accompanying order set could effectively increase LCS uptake in a primary care setting. To identify patients eligible for LCS, investigators conducted a comprehensive analysis of 62,630 current and former smokers aged 50 and above between January 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022. A random sample of 3,704 patient charts was reviewed to determine LCS eligibility, focusing on those who received low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) as part of their screening. Demographic data including gender, race, primary language, ethnicity, zip code, and insurance status were also collected and analyzed using 2-proportional z tests. Among the 461 patients identified as LCS-eligible, the overall screening uptake was 19.9% (92/461). Researchers evaluated screening uptake across three distinct time frames: before the EMR alert implementation, after the EMR alert implementation on July 1, 2021, and following the subsequent implementation of both the EMR alert and order set on March 1, 2022. 

The introduction of the EMR alert led to a significant increase in screening uptake, rising from 2.2% (1/46) before implementation to 21.1% (23/109) post-implementation (p=0.003). This elevated screening rate remained consistent after the order set was introduced, with 21.1% (23/109) and 22.2% (68/306) uptake, respectively (p=0.72). Additionally, age emerged as a significant factor in screening uptake, with patients aged 65 and older showing a statistically significant higher rate of screening compared to those under 65 (25.8% [51/198] vs. 15.6% [41/263]; p=0.007). These findings suggest that implementing EMR alerts is an effective strategy for increasing LCS uptake in primary care and should be considered for broader adoption across various healthcare settings to enhance early lung cancer detection.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525730424001578