BackgroundResearchers who aim to serve a community (i.e., racial, gender, ethnic group) of which they are not a part must do foundational work to understand that community and build intentional, thoughtful collaborations with the community to guide their work.ObjectivesThis article aims to share a case exemplar of the formation period of a community advisory board (CAB) that conducts research focused on improving health equity in the Black and African American community.MethodsCAB development has three phases: formation, operation, and maintenance. Previous work has described and provided best practices for each phase. This article focused on the first phase, formation. Guided by critical race theory, with guidance from her mentor, a researcher partnered with a research assistant and a community health educator to develop a CAB. Details of their processes—which apply to the formation of other CABs—are presented.DiscussionDuring the board formation period, the major focus has been relationship building and developing a shared mission: “To work in partnership with researchers at the University of North Carolina to reduce cancer disparities in Black/African American communities by informing research and program development. As a liaison between the community and researchers, the Community Advisory Board will identify community needs, promote evidence-based interventions and information, raise awareness about health disparities in communities, and educate researchers.” CAB formation is nuanced and unique, dependent upon the nature of the research to be conducted and the characteristics of the community and researchers. This case exemplar provides valuable insights to other researchers working to build community partnerships.

ignificant disparities in cancer prevention, detection, treatments, outcomes, and quality of life exist between Black and White patients. Black patients have higher death rates than all other racial and ethnic groups for most cancer types (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, 2021). When compared to White men, Black men have a higher incidence of prostate cancer and are twice as likely to die from the disease (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2022). Compared to White women, Black women experience higher cervical cancer incidence and mortality, as well as a higher incidence of triple-negative breast cancer, which is more aggressive than other types of breast cancer (NCI, 2021). In addition, despite similar overall breast cancer incidence among White and Black women, Black women are more likely to die from the disease (NCI, 2022). Increasingly, researchers are attempting to improve these disparate health outcomes between Black and White populations, often identifying the healthcare system as a starting point for improvement.Nurses have frequent communication and opportunities to build relationships with patients that can improve patient outcomes. Health communication is central to the nursing practice and is essential to providing person-centered care that results in positive patient outcomes (Kourkouta & Papathanasiou, 2014). The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (2022) framework recognizes the healthcare system as having an influence on health outcomes (see Table 1). Within the healthcare system, nurses are situated at the interpersonal level of influence to affect patient health outcomes. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: Significant cancer disparities exist between Black and White patients. One important contributor to patient outcomes disparities is patient-clinician communication. Conversations between clinicians and Black patients are often shorter and less detailed compared to White patients. LITERATURE SEARCH: A systematic literature search was conducted. Databases were searched to identify studies that included (a) participants with a cancer diagnosis, (b) information specific to Black or African American participants, and (c) information on patient-clinician communication. A total of 67 articles underwent full review; 24 studies met inclusion criteria. DATA EVALUATION: Each included study was scored for level of evidence, and common themes were identified across studies using the Matrix Method. SYNTHESIS: The following themes were identified: relationship building, building trust, empowering patients for shared decision-making, addressing topics of patient concern, and consideration of community and family. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Results identify several ways that nurses can improve communication with Black patients. Research aimed at identifying interpersonal strategies to mitigate cancer disparities is needed.

Compared to White patients, Black patients are more often diagnosed with several types of cancer, experience more treatment related complications and worse outcomes. Multi-level factors influence these disparities. At the interpersonal level, disparities in patient-clinician communication exist for patients of different races. For example, patient clinician conversations are often shorter for Black as compared to White patients. The purpose of this literature review is to examine factors that impact communication between Black patients and their oncology nurse clinicians and consider how communication can be improved. A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, CINAHL with Full Text (EBSCOhost), and Scopus were used to locate studies that met the following inclusion criteria: (1) focused on individual living beyond a cancer diagnosis, (2) contained results specific to Black or African American participants, and (3) focused on patient-clinician communication. Two researchers independently reviewed 935 title/abstracts, then 71 full-text articles, to identify a final 24 studies that met inclusion criteria. Each included study was evaluated for level of evidence strength to inform nursing practice. The Matrix Method was used to identify common themes across studies. Five themes were identified: (1) relationship building, (2) trust, (3) shared decision-making, (4) topics of patient concern, and (5) consideration of family. Results indicate several ways in which nurses can work to improve communication for Black patients. Citation Format: Rachel Hirschey, Elizabeth Guimond, Berhan Getachew, Karen Miles Sheffield-Abdullah, Jamie Conklin, Timiya S. Nolan. Systematic review to identify how nurses may improve communication with Black patients living beyond a cancer diagnosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B010.