An Assessment of Distress Levels of Patients Undergoing Lung Cancer Treatment and Surveillance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to identify anxious/distressed lung cancer patients and address their mental health needs directly related to the COVID-19. A total of 441 patients were screened utilizing a national distress thermometer. 47% were counseled by the NP, 32% sent for referral to the social worker. Patients reported reasons for distress as fear of delaying testing, contracting the virus and changes in their lifestyle. We found that screening all patients during the pandemic, yielded a higher than normal percentage of patients who were in need of some level of mental health services.