Page 29 - Inspire Magazine

When we select research projects to fund, we give priority to two key areas: early detection and the patient
experience.

As Bill Simpson’s story clearly shows (read ‘The man who got scanned’ on pages 3-5), checking high-risk individuals
for early-stage lung cancer using low dose CT (LDCT) scans really works.

In fact, LDCT scans have been shown to reduce deaths from lung cancer by 26% compared with using chest
X-rays alone. That’s why our charity is pushing so hard for the roll-out of lung health checks across the UK.
We hope that local pilot schemes such as our Nottingham project will provide vital evidence showing the real
effectiveness of CT scans in early detection.

So far, so good – but what about patients? How do they feel about being asked to become
involved in such checks? For many people, the merest suggestion that they’re being
investigated for lung cancer can be a worrying prospect. Any medical procedure carries
some level of risk, however small. And what about patients whose test results show up
abnormalities – how do we reassure them?

This is why we backed a study looking into the experience of patients involved in
such checks.

This research – known as the PEOPLE project – aims to help patients get the most
from lung cancer checks by guiding health care professionals to deliver a service
that promotes psychological well-being, minimises distress among patients with
‘abnormal’ fi ndings, and promotes positive behaviour change, such as quitting smoking or
taking more exercise.

“Using this evidence, the research team has designed,
and are now building, an online training module to help
train nurses in these pati ent-centred approaches.”

The project explored why patients respond to screening in different ways. It identifi ed aspects of nurses’
communication and patients’ experience that could be changed to improve patients’ well-being and their
lifestyles.

Encouragingly, a survey of 1,200 people suggests that generally, the well-being of those taking part in lung
health checks seems similar to that of current and former smokers of the same age, in the wider population.

The research team, led by Dr Jo Waller and Dr Samantha Quaife at University College London, also interviewed
28 patients to examine their experience of screening in more depth.

These patients reported a spectrum of responses; from anxiety about their results to empowerment to be ‘more
kind to my lungs’, and for some smokers the screening appointment gave them a ‘time to call it [smoking] a day’.

Using this evidence, the research team has designed, and are now building, an online training module to help train
nurses in these patient-centred approaches.

So, we’re backing projects to demonstrate the value of lung health checks, into how patients feel about them
and ways to make their overall experience even better – and we’re campaigning to have them rolled out
INSPIRE 2018
across the country. Busy times!

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