Implementation of a housing insecurity screening tool in patients with lung cancer.

Abstract

e18601 Background: Patients with lung cancer experiencing housing insecurity are known to have longer time to biopsy, more missed appointments, and other delays in treatment as compared to their peers with stable housing. Methods: A single-institution retrospective chart review was performed at our safety-net academic institution. Patients with a new diagnosis of primary lung cancer from January 2015 through December 2020 who responded to the housing insecurity screening tool were included. Patients who screened positive received a print-out of housing resources or referral to a patient navigator. All characteristics except molecular testing were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression with housing status as the dependent variable. Molecular testing was analyzed separately via a Chi-Square test of independence given molecular testing was indicated for only a subset of patients. Results: Of the 423 patients, 264 (62%) reported housing insecurity. Compared to patients with stable housing, patients with housing insecurity received molecular testing when indicated at comparable rates, had similar time from first biopsy to initiation of treatment, and had similar insurance status (Table 1). Patients with stable housing were more likely to be White (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.09 -2.50). Conclusions: Although existing data shows patients with housing insecurity experience delays in treatment, our findings suggest that provision of equitable access to care with targeted interventions to reduce housing insecurity may help reduce such disparities, which often affect minoritized racial groups disproportionately. [Table: see text]