Abstract Introduction Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a generalized term used to describe chronic lung disease described by the irreversible fibrosis of lung parenchyma. Data is sparse exploring outcomes for these patients localized to rural populations. Here, we aim to explore the delays in care for patients diagnosed with ILD in our pulmonary specialty’s clinic at West Virginia University. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of 312 patients receiving care at our ILD Clinic at West Virginia University J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital from 2021 to 2024 (IRB NHSR/Flex protocol #2405983938). Primary outcomes included average time from symptom onset to ILD clinic evaluation, average time from first abnormal CT scan to ILD clinic evaluation and mortality status by November 1st, 2024. Results There was an average of 664 days between the first abnormal CT scan suggestive of ILD and initial clinic evaluation in our ILD clinic. Patients alive at completion of the study had an average delay of clinic evaluation from first abnormal CT scan of 687 days compared to patients who were deceased by completion of the study. When exploring time-to-clinic evaluation due to clinical symptoms among those who were alive by November 1st, 2024, there was an average delay of 1085 days (roughly 3 years) compared to a delay of 1126 days among those who were deceased by November 1st, 2024. Conclusion ILD is a complex disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality, disproportionately affecting underserved patient populations. Snyder et al found among patients in the IPF-PRO (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Prospective Outcomes) registry, time to clinic evaluation from symptoms onset was roughly 1 year and less than a year with imaging evidence of ILD. There was a much greater delay between symptom onset and imaging evidence of ILD in our rural patient population, likely contributing to greater morbidity and mortality in our patient population. Although initial clinic evaluation in our patient population was delayed, we found that patients with more advanced disease were seen in clinic sooner than those with less advanced disease due to more prompt referral. Future research should explore outreach programs to target these rural populations, as well as educational resources for primary care providers to improve the frequency of referral. This abstract is funded by: None
Colantonio et al. (Fri,) studied this question.