Preliminary findings from a patient navigator program with Hispanic women from community clinics in South Texas.

Abstract

#5097 A patient navigator program that uses a trained community health worker to assist Hispanic women in utilizing cancer care services has been successfully implemented in South Texas for the past two years. The objectives of this program are to 1) reduce the rate of noncompliance after reception of abnormal breast and cervical cancer screening results, which will in turn reduce the time between screening and the commencement of treatment, and 2) improve patient satisfaction with the health care system experience. Participants include low-income Hispanic women who receive abnormal breast and/or cervical cancer screening results from two community clinics, a Treatment and a Comparison clinic. Participants from both clinics are administered a pre-(baseline) and a post-survey. The pre-survey is administered upon recruitment into the study, and the post-survey is administered six months after the baseline survey. Clinical data about participants' abnormal screening results are also extracted from their medical records. In addition, a patient navigator facilitates scheduling clinic visits, resolving medical problems and avoiding non-medical delays in evaluation for patients participating in the Treatment Arm. This session will present preliminary results, lessons learned, common patient barriers and strategies to address the barriers. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 5097.