Defining the role of patient navigators for men with an abnormal prostate cancer screening test result in an urban setting

Abstract

5120 Background: Though several navigation programs have aimed to reduce cancer health disparities, few have evaluated the role of patients’ race/ethnicity on patient navigator activities. We report preliminary data on types of encounters and actions taken to prevent delays in prostate cancer diagnosis or treatment for 82 veterans enrolled in the NCI-funded Patient Navigation Research Program in Chicago. Methods: Male lay patient navigators and a social worker recorded encounter types, perceived or patient-identified barriers, and actions taken to prevent or resolve patient barriers to follow-up after identification of an abnormal finding for prostate cancer. Results: Of our study participants, half were African-American, 57% had an annual income of less than $30,000, 68% were unemployed, 43% were married, and the mean age was 66 years old. The most common type of patient navigator encounters included phone calls with the patient and in-person visits at the hospital, 64% and 32% respectively. Two-thirds of encounters on behalf of the patient lasted less than 15 minutes. Almost all patient navigator actions resulted from proactive case management. The most common navigator actions taken were providing support, making referrals to health providers or community resources, and verifying appointments, 32%, 29%, and 15%, respectively. There was a significant difference between African-American versus White patients with respect to type of encounter and length of encounters (p=0.002 and <0.0001, respectively) but not actions taken. Conclusions: Patient navigator activity for our study thus far largely consisted of proactive management of patient- and system-related barriers as opposed to reactive response to patient-identified barriers. Future navigation programs should consider tailoring gender- and culturally-matched interventions for their patients. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.