You may be contacted to participate in a lung cancer screening trial

Please be advised, in the coming weeks researchers from the University of Melbourne may contact you to invite your practice to participate in the ReadytoScreen randomised control trial, an important initiative to support the implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening program.

Your practice may be selected – along with others across NSW and Victoria – if data from the National Cancer Screening Register shows a higher prevalence of lung cancer diagnoses in the vicinity of your practice.

The research is targeting patients from seven different language backgrounds.

Researchers have provided the following information about the program and the trial to SWSPHN to share with general practices in our region, including information about what’s involved in participating in the trial and practice eligibility for the trial.

Why lung cancer screening?

The National Lung Cancer Screening Program will begin on 1 July 2025, and eligible participants will need a referral from their GP to be screened. Early detection through screening is proven to significantly improve outcomes for patients at high risk of lung cancer.

To be eligible for the program patients must be:

• are aged between 50 and 70 years
• show no signs or symptoms of lung cancer (that is, you are asymptomatic)

and

• have a history of at least 30 pack-years of cigarette smoking and are still smoking

or

• have a history of at least 30 pack-years of cigarette smoking and quit in the past 10 years

Is your practice prepared?

The ReadytoScreen trial aims to identify the most effective strategies for engaging eligible patients to take up lung cancer screening.

Researchers want to understand how communication and information from a patient’s general practice can increase participation rates, and how practices can be better supported to deliver the National Lung Cancer Screening Program.

They’ll also explore the barriers and enablers to implementing this program in your practice and across Australia.

What’s involved in participating?

By joining the ReadytoScreen trial, your practice will:

• be supported to identify patients who may be eligible for screening
• gain access to Future Health Today, a point-of-care clinical decision support tool, integrated into your existing software
• develop a list of patients interested in being contacted for eligibility assessment, with support from a research nurse
• be supported onsite by one of our research nurses
• receive $2,000 reimbursement for your time, with your clinical staff eligible to claim up to 4.5 continuing professional development (CPD) hours for participation 

These activities will ensure practices are prepared for roll-out of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program from 1 July 2025.

Practice eligibility criteria:

To participate, a practice must:

• have at least two full-time equivalent GPs and a practice manager (or delegate)
• use electronic medical record (EMR) software (eg Best Practice, Medical Director, ZedMed) and be able to extract patient cohort lists
• have the ability to send SMS reminders to patients

For more information, please email ready-to-screen@unimelb.edu.au or call 0459 867 617. A member of the University of Melbourne research team will reach out to discuss your involvement.