Reducing barriers to consulting a General Practitioner in patients at increased risk of lung cancer: a qualitative evaluation of the CHEST Australia intervention

Lung cancer has one of the lowest survival outcomes of any cancer. Over two-thirds of patients are diagnosed when curative treatment is no longer an option. A factor in the late diagnosis of lung cancer is the late presentation of patients with symptoms to their healthcare provider. The CHEST Australia trial is a large scale randomized control trial based on an intervention developed in Scotland. The results of this paper investigate the qualitative data of patients experience in the CHEST trial. They identified that barriers to GP consultation were the stigmatization of smoking, guilt, fatalism and symptom normalisation. Some patients also revealed a mistrust of GPs based on their previous experience. Overall, the patients reported a clearer understanding of what to look for in regards to lung cancer symptoms. They also reported understanding when to take action about their symptoms following their participation in the trial.   Read the full article here.