CPD PDSA guide
A worked PDSA cycle for preparing your practice for the National Lung Cancer Screening Program, identifying eligible patients, building a reliable referral and reminder pathway, and meeting CPD requirements as a whole practice team.
The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) launched on 1 July 2025, offering free low-dose CT scans to eligible Australians at high risk of lung cancer. GPs are the gateway: eligibility assessment, referral, results management and follow-up all sit with the practice. For most practices, effective participation requires a systematic review of smoking history recording and a recall and reminder system capable of identifying eligible patients.
This guide takes your practice team through a complete Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle focused on preparing for the NLCSP. It covers updating smoking history at the point of care, calculating pack-years, identifying eligible patients through database search, building a standardised reminder, and the clinical knowledge base including eligibility criteria, the referral pathway, results management and smoking cessation support. The worked example shows how a real practice prepared for program launch across 14 GPs and three data collection periods.
Completing the full cycle can contribute up to 9 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours across Educational Activities, Reviewing Performance and Measuring Outcomes categories when submitted as a practice-based or group activity.
Updating smoking history at the point of care, calculating pack-years, and searching the practice database to find patients who already meet the eligibility criteria.
A standardised recall and reminder name, the referral pathway to LDCT, and the Best Practice shortcut text that keeps eligibility advice consistent across all GPs.
Eligibility criteria, pack-year calculation, the four-step program process, results management, costs, the National Cancer Screening Register and smoking cessation support.
Completing the full PDSA cycle can contribute up to 9 CPD hours. The breakdown below shows how hours are allocated across RACGP CPD categories.
Review of the program specifications, eligibility criteria and the practice knowledge base.
Reviewing smoking history recording and eligibility identification against practice targets.
Tracking smoking histories, discussions, eligible patients and reminders across the data collection periods.
Eligibility criteria and pack-year calculation
Smoking history recording and database search
Standardised reminders and the referral pathway
Results management and MBS items
Smoking cessation support and pharmacotherapy
Systematic screening preparation supports earlier detection of Australia's leading cause of cancer death and positions the practice as the gateway to the program.
Lung cancer has a five-year survival rate of 27%, driven by late presentation. Systematic eligibility assessment supports earlier detection in a high-risk group and contributes to the program's projected benefit of more than 500 deaths prevented annually.
Building a recall cohort and integrating smoking cessation into the screening conversation supports continuity of care and improves outcomes regardless of screening result.
This PDSA guide is free for Australian GP practices.