Barriers to Lung Cancer Screening With Low-Dose Computed Tomography

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: Despite lung cancer screening guidelines and insurance coverage changes, rates of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography remain suboptimal among the eligible population in the United States. LITERATURE SEARCH: Electronic literature databases, including PubMed, CINAHL (R), PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, were searched. DATA EVALUATION: After applying filter information and inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 articles were reviewed. Methodological rigor was evaluated. SYNTHESIS: Based on the social-ecological approach, barriers to lung cancer screening at the individual level, including sociodemographic characteristics, financial cost, lack of knowledge, inaccurate beliefs about lung cancer screening, distrust of the medical system, stigma around smoking and lung cancer, negative attitudes about outcomes of lung cancer screening, and inconvenience of receiving lung cancer screening, were identified. Barriers at the health-system level included lack of information from primary care providers. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Overcoming barriers to lung cancer screening at individual and health-system levels is essential to increase lung cancer screening uptake rates.