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National Survey of Hospitalists' Experiences with Incidental Pulmonary Nodules
Author(s) -
Umscheid Craig A,
Wilen Jonathan,
Garin Matthew,
Goldstein Jenna D,
Cook Tessa S,
Liu Yulun,
Chen Yong,
Myers Jennifer S
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of hospital medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.128
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1553-5606
pISSN - 1553-5592
DOI - 10.12788/jhm.3115
Subject(s) - medicine , medline , hospital medicine , family medicine , law , political science
Incidental pulmonary nodules (IPNs) are common and often require follow‐up. The Fleischner Society guidelines were created to support IPN management. We developed a 14‐item survey to examine hospitalists' exposure to and management of IPNs. The survey targeted attendees of the 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) annual conference. We recruited 174 attendees. In total, 82% were identified as hospitalist physicians and 7% as advanced practice providers; 63% practiced for >5 years and 62% supervised trainees. All reported seeing ≥1 IPN case in the past six months, with 39% seeing three to five cases and 39% seeing six or more cases. Notwithstanding, 42% were unfamiliar with the Fleischner Society guidelines. When determining the IPN follow‐up, 83% used radiology report recommendations, 64% consulted national or international guidelines, and 34% contacted radiologists; 34% agreed that determining the follow‐up was challenging; only 15% reported availability of automated tracking systems. In conclusion, despite frequent IPN exposure, hospitalists are frequently unaware of the Fleischner Society guidelines and rely on radiologists' recommendations.