title: Pathways to a lung cancer diagnosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to identify and describe pathways to a lung cancer diagnosis based on narratives of persons diagnosed with the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven adults with lung cancer were recruited from an academic thoracic oncology clinic in a large city in the southeastern United States. Moderately structured interviews were conducted by an experienced nurse practitioner (NP) to obtain information regarding the participants' experiences leading to their diagnosis. Qualitative content analysis was used to develop a typology of pathways.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings revealed four distinct pathways: missing opportunities, waiting and seeing, being alarmed, and being blindsided.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Pathways to a Lung Cancer Diagnosis Typology has important implications for clinical practice and can be used to inform NPs and other healthcare providers who provide care for patients at risk for or diagnosed with lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6448-6033
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carter-Harris
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Carla Penrod
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Claire Burke
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Draucker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007629:Kentucky; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis
keywords: Lung cancer; content analysis; diagnosis; qualitative; research