WCLC 2025 - Posters & ePosters-P3.16.10 Co-Designing a Resource to Reduce Stigma in Lung Cancer Screening

Pdf Summary

This study addresses stigma reduction in lung cancer screening (LCS) by co-designing a practical resource aimed at health professionals to improve patient experiences and screening uptake within the Australian National Lung Cancer Screening Program.<br /><br />Background: Stigma associated with lung cancer, often linked to smoking, causes psychological harm such as shame and distress, deterring individuals from engaging in screening programs. While lung cancer stigma is well-documented among diagnosed patients, its presence and effects during the screening phase are less understood.<br /><br />Methods: The project comprised two studies. Study 1 involved semi-structured interviews with 24 LCS-eligible individuals (25% from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, 50% current smokers) to explore stigma perceptions. Four major themes emerged, including unavoidable stigma due to smoking-based eligibility but potential reduction through reframing messages about personal responsibility, ensuring privacy, and enhancing staff communication skills. Study 2 involved co-design workshops and interviews with 5 LCS-eligible people and 44 experts/clinicians (half from primary care), iteratively developing a stigma-reduction resource using the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation co-design framework and abductive thematic analysis. A consumer advisor was engaged throughout.<br /><br />Results: The final resource includes key thematic content on stigma reduction strategies and a lexicon guide promoting person-first, empowering language, informed by literature on stigma and communication best practices. It is designed to be scalable and implemented nationally.<br /><br />Conclusions: The resource is expected to support health professionals in delivering LCS, reduce psychological harm to participants, and improve screening participation. Future research should evaluate the resource’s psychosocial and behavioral impact and further investigate intersectional stigma within priority populations to develop targeted interventions.<br /><br />This project was supported by the Australian Government National Lung Cancer Screening Program and highlights the critical role of co-designed tools in addressing stigma barriers in preventive healthcare.

Asset Subtitle

Kathleen McFadden

Meta Tag

Speaker Kathleen McFadden

Topic Patient Advocacy

Keywords

lung cancer screening

stigma reduction

health professionals

patient experience

screening uptake

Australian National Lung Cancer Screening Program

co-design

smoking-related stigma

psychological harm

communication strategies