Andrew D. Schechtman

All Publications

• The Role of Primary Care Providers in Lung Cancer Screening: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Clinical lung cancer Wong, L. Y., Kapula, N., Kang, A., Phadke, A. J., Schechtman, A. D., Elliott, I. A., Guenthart, B. A., Liou, D. Z., Backhus, L. M., Berry, M. F., Shrager, J. B., Lui, N. S. 2024

  Abstract

  Multidisciplinary lung cancer screening (LCS) programs that perform shared decision-making visits (SDMV) and follow up annual low dose computed tomography (LDCT) have been emerging. We hypothesize that primary care providers (PCPs) prefer to refer patients to LCS programs instead of facilitating the screening process themselves.This is a mixed-methods, cross-sectional study in which an online survey was administered to PCPs between April 2023 and June 2023.58 PCPs in the same hospital network participated in the study with a median age of 43 (34-51), predominance of women (77.6%), and clinicians of white and Asian race (44.8% and 48.3%). Respondents estimated that 26.1% (SD 32.4%) of their eligible patients participate in LCS screening. PCPs thought that an LCS program was equally convenient to performing screening themselves for identifying eligible patients and ordering LDCT. However, 63.8% of participants preferred an LCS program for performing SDMVs, 62.1% for ensuring annual follow-up on negative LDCTs, 70.7% for deciding next steps on positive LDCTs, and 60.4% for performing smoking cessation counseling. PCPs agreed that an LCS program saves time (69%), allows patients to receive specialty care (65.6%), addresses patient concerns (70.7%), ensures annual follow-up (77.6%), and manages abnormal findings (79.3%). However, they also expressed concerns about an additional visit for the patient (48.2%) and patient cost (46.5%).Most PCPs believe that formal LCS programs have many benefits including providing specialized care and follow up, although there were concerns about patient time and cost.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cllc.2024.10.002

  View details for PubMedID 39472235

• Developing a Telemedicine Curriculum for a Family Medicine Residency. PRiMER (Leawood, Kan.) Ha, E., Zwicky, K., Yu, G., Schechtman, A. 2020; 4: 21

  Abstract

  Introduction: Telemedicine has rapidly become an essential part of primary care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, formal training in telemedicine during residency is lacking. We developed and implemented a telemedicine curriculum for a family medicine residency program and investigated its effect on resident confidence levels in practicing telemedicine.Methods: We designed a process map of the telemedicine visit workflow at the residency clinic to identify key topics to cover in the curriculum. We created a live 50-minute didactic lecture on best practices in telemedicine, along with a quick-reference handout. We distributed pre- and postintervention surveys to current residents (N=24) to assess the effect of the educational intervention on their confidence in practicing telemedicine.Results: Fourteen residents (58% response rate) completed all aspects of the study including both surveys and participation in the educational intervention. Confidence levels in conducting telemedicine visits increased in three of five domains: (1) virtual physical exam ( P=.04), (2) visit documentation (P=.03), and (3) virtually staffing with an attending ( P=.04). Resident interest in using telemedicine after residency also increased following the educational intervention.Conclusion: Telemedicine requires a unique skill set. Formal education on best practices improves resident confidence levels and interest in practicing telemedicine. Primary care residency programs should incorporate telemedicine training to adequately prepare their graduates for clinical practice.

  View details for DOI 10.22454/PRiMER.2020.126466

  View details for PubMedID 33111048