Health Service Navigation Research Articles

A randomized clinical trial testing a health literacy intervention to reduce disparities in access to care among Justice-Impacted Adults (JIA)

BackgroundLow health literacy is costly and observed among justice-impacted adults (JIA), a group that often faces numerous barriers in accessing healthcare and a disproportionate burden of illness. Health literacy interventions for JIA are critically needed to improve healthcare access and related outcomes.MethodsThis manuscript describes the protocol for a longitudinal mixed-methods randomized clinical trial that assesses the effectiveness of a coach-guided health literacy intervention on JIA’s healthcare access. The intervention was previously piloted with justice impacted adults. We will recruit 300 JIA ages 18 + in San Diego, California. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to the Treatment Group (i.e., coach-guided intervention providing 12 sessions of individualized health coaching and service navigation over 6 months) or the Control Group (i.e., self-study of the health coaching program, and brief service navigation support). We will quantitatively assess JIA’s healthcare access defined as: use of healthcare, health insurance status, and regular source of care at 6-months as the primary outcomes. Participants will also be surveyed at 12-months. Statistical analyses will incorporate the intent-to-treat (ITT) principle and we will estimate mixed-effects logistic regression for the primary outcomes. We will also conduct qualitative interviews at 6 and 12-months with 40 purposively sampled participants, stratified by study arm, who reported healthcare access barriers at baseline. Interviews will explore participants’ satisfaction with the intervention, healthcare attitudes, self-efficacy for and barriers to healthcare access over time, perceived contribution of the intervention to health and well-being, and diffusion of intervention-related information within participants’ social networks. We will conduct deductive thematic analyses of qualitative data.DiscussionLow health literacy among JIA is a foundational challenge requiring tailored intervention strategies. Findings from this trial may inform policies and the structure of service delivery models to build health literacy among JIA in institutional and community settings throughout the United States and elsewhere.Trial registrationThis study is registered with the United States’ ClinicalTrials.gov registry under protocol # 161,903.

Intensity and Variation of Health Navigator Support: Addressing Medical and Social Needs of Diabetes Patients in East Oakland.

Healthcare systems are increasingly screening and referring patients for unmet social needs (e.g., food insecurity). Little is known about the intensity of support necessary to address unmet needs, how this support may vary by circumstance or time (duration), or the factors that may contribute to this variation. Describe health navigator services and the effort required to support patients with complex needs at a community health center in East Oakland, CA. Retrospective analysis of de-identified patient contact notes (e.g., progress notes). Convenience sample of patients (n = 27) enrolled in diabetes education and referred to health navigators. Navigators provide education on managing conditions (e.g., diabetes), initiate and track medical and social needs referrals, and navigate patients to medical and social care organizations. Descriptive statistics for prevalence, mean, median, and range values of patient contacts and navigation services. We described patterns and variation in navigation utilization (both contacts and navigation services) based on types of need. We identified 811 unmet social and medical needs that occurred over 710 contacts with health navigators; 722 navigation services were used to address these needs. Patients were supported by navigators for a median of 9months; approximately 25% of patients received support for > 1year. We categorized patients into 3 different levels of social risk, accounting for patient complexity and resource needs. The top tertile (n = 9; 33%) accounted for the majority of resource utilization, based on health navigator contacts (68%) and navigation services (75%). The required intensity and support given to meet patients' medical and social needs is substantial and has significant variation. Meeting the needs of complex patients will require considerable investments in human capital, and a risk stratification system to help identify those most in need of services.

1.49 Accessing Timely Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Care Through a Regional Mental Health Navigation Service

1.49 Accessing Timely Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Care Through a Regional Mental Health Navigation Service

The Experience of Home Parenteral Therapy: A Thematic Analysis of Patient Interviews.

A limited number of studies have explored patients' experience with home parenteral (injectable) therapy (HPT) in the UK. To explore the immediate-, short-, and long-term experience of patients with self-management of any home parenteral therapy with the intention for developing a guideline for service development in the United Kingdom. An interview-based study of patients receiving HPT. Invitations were posted to all patients on the hospital HPT register. The sessions were conducted by telephone for all consenting patients. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically. Participants completed the 'Health Education Impact Questionnaire' (heiQ) before and after the education session. Of the 640 patients invited to participate in the study, 45 (7%) patients completed the interviews and the education session. An interview analysis revealed that the patients' experiences of HPT were generally positive, but the levels of training and support received showed wide individual variations. The patients had experienced periods of doubt and uncertainty, where they would have appreciated quick access to professional advice to alleviate their concerns. There was a reliable positive change (10.5-18.4%) from before and after the education sessions in six out of the eight domains on the heiQ questionnaire (health-directed behaviour, self-monitoring and insight, constructive attitudes and approaches, skill and technique acquisition, social integration and support, and emotional distress) and moderate change in two domains (5.3% in positive and negative engagement in life, and 2.6% in health services navigation). Self-administered parenteral therapy at home is a valuable option, but training and preparation standards should be optimised across hospitals and the wider NHS.

Predictors of self-management in patients with chronic low back pain: a longitudinal study

BackgroundSelf-management (SM) is a key recommended strategy for managing chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, SM programmes generate small to moderate benefits for reducing pain and disability in patients with CLBP. The benefits of the SM programme can potentially be optimised by identifying specific subgroups of patients who are the best responders. To date, no longitudinal study has examined the predictive relationships between SM and biopsychosocial factors in patients with CLBP. The aim was to determine whether biopsychosocial factors predict SM and its change over time in patients with CLBP.MethodsIn this multi-centre longitudinal cohort study, we recruited 270 working-age patients with CLBP (mean age 43.74, 61% female) who consulted outpatient physiotherapy for their CLBP. Participants completed self-reported validated measures of pain intensity, disability, physical activity, kinesiophobia, catastrophising, depression and SM at baseline and six months. SM constructs were measured using eight subscales of the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ), including Health Directed Activity (HDA), Positive and Active Engagement in Life (PAEL), Emotional Distress (ED), Self-Monitoring and Insight (SMI), Constructive Attitudes and Approaches (CAA), Skill and Technique Acquisition (STA), Social Integration and Support (SIS) and Health Service Navigation (HSN). Data were analysed using General Linear Model (GLM) regression.ResultsPhysical activity and healthcare use (positively) and disability, depression, kinesiophobia, catastrophising (negatively) predicted (p < 0.05, R2 0.07–0.55) SM constructs at baseline in patients with CLBP. Baseline depression (constructs: PAEL, ED, SMI, CAA and STA), kinesiophobia (constructs: CAA and HSN), catastrophising (construct: ED), and physical disability (constructs: PAEL, CAA and SIS) negatively predicted a range of SM constructs. Changes over six months in SM constructs were predicted by changes in depression, kinesiophobia, catastrophising, and physical activity (p < 0.05, R2 0.13–0.32).ConclusionsSelf-reported disability, physical activity, depression, catastrophising and kinesiophobia predicted multiple constructs of SM measured using the heiQ subscales in working-age patients with CLBP. Knowledge of biopsychosocial predictors of SM may help triage patients with CLBP into targeted pain management programmes.Trial registrationThe study protocol was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 22 December 2015 (ID: NCT02636777).

The role of subjective cognitive complaints in self-management among haemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSubjective cognitive complaints refer to self-experienced difficulties with everyday cognitive tasks. Although there has been a fair amount of research on cognitive impairments and cognitive complaints in end-stage renal disease, the practical implications of these complaints remain unclear. The current study aims to examine the associations of cognitive complaints with sociodemographic and clinical variables, mood, as well as key patient-reported outcomes, i.e., self-efficacy, self-management skills, and treatment adherence.MethodsA total of 305 haemodialysis patients (mean age = 53.97 years, 42.6% female) completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Cognitive Function subscale, a brief measure of cognitive complaints. The recommended cut-off point of 60 was used to identify probable cognitive impairment. Measures of self-efficacy, self-management skills (i.e., symptom coping, health monitoring, health service navigation), treatment adherence, and mood symptoms were also administered. Between-group comparisons and correlational analyses were performed to examine associations of cognitive complaints with sociodemographic, clinical, and health behaviour variables. Mediation analyses were also conducted to investigate the mediating role of self-efficacy on the relationship between cognitive complaints and treatment adherence.ResultsNearly a quarter (23.0%) of haemodialysis patients reported cognitive complaints indicative of clinical impairments. Risk of probable impairments was higher for patients with hypertension, diabetes, those diagnosed with end-stage renal disease at an older age, and those with shorter time on dialysis. Subjective cognitive complaints (both rates of probable impairments as per cut-off and continuous scores) were significantly associated with lower disease and treatment self-efficacy, poorer self-management skills, lower treatment adherence, as well as higher symptoms of distress. Mediation analysis indicated that treatment self-efficacy mediated the relationship between cognitive complaints and treatment adherence.ConclusionsThe current study demonstrated the clinical characteristics of haemodialysis patients who report cognitive complaints indicative of probable cognitive impairments and showed the associations of these complaints with self-management outcomes. Future studies should adopt more comprehensive measures of cognitive complaints and longitudinal designs to confirm the current findings.

Perceptions of Social Determinants of Health in a Student-Led Free Clinic

Understanding a patient’s social determinants of health (SDOH) needs is an important aspect of medical care. To understand better how well future physicians are aware of these needs, student primary care providers (PCP) at a student-led free clinic in the upper southeastern United States surveyed fifteen patients via telemedicine between October 2020 and January 2021 concerning their social determinant of health needs. Seventeen social determinants of health items were addressed using a 10-point Likert scale. Prior to administering the survey to patients, student PCPs were asked to complete the survey to predict each individual patient’s response. The average difference between student and patient response ranged from 1.3 to 3.8 for each SDOH item, and patients expressed a higher need than their PCP students did for health services navigation, health insurance limitations, and education options and affordability. We conclude that even this group of motivated medical students providing continuity care could benefit from a more formal curriculum addressing SDOH.

What is the impact of introducing a non-clinical community health advice and navigation service on the demand for primary care in socially deprived areas? Evidence from an observational panel study with difference-in-differences design

ObjectivesTo examine the effect of introducing a non-clinical community health advice and navigation service on the demand for primary care in a socially deprived area.DesignObservational panel study with difference-in-differences design....

1.119 A Framework for Engaging Youth in Mental Health and Addictions Navigation Services and Research

Mental health and/or addiction (MHA) concerns impact nearly 1.2 million Canadian youth, yet fewer than 20% of these young people access appropriate MHA treatment. MHA navigation offers a unique opportunity to address this concerning gap for youth by working with them to identify individual barriers to care and overcome these in order to effectively access and transition through suitable MHA care. However, best practices for engaging youth in MHA navigation settings are not well understood.

Region of birth differences in healthcare navigation and optimisation: the interplay of racial discrimination and socioeconomic position

BackgroundWhile a large body of research has documented socioeconomic and migrant inequities in the effective use of healthcare services, the reasons underlying such inequities are yet to be fully understood. This study assesses the interplay between racial discrimination and socioeconomic position, as conceptualised by Bourdieu, and their contributions to healthcare navigation and optimisation.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional survey in Luxembourg we collected data from individuals with wide-ranging migration and socioeconomic profiles. We fitted sequential multiple linear and logistic regressions to investigate the relationships between healthcare service navigation and optimisation with perceived racial discrimination and socioeconomic position measured by economic, cultural and social capital. We also investigated whether the ownership of these capitals moderates the experience of racial discrimination in healthcare settings.ResultsWe observed important disparities in healthcare navigation among different migrant communities. These differences were explained by accounting for the experience of racial discrimination. Racial discrimination was also negatively related with the extent of healthcare services optimisation. However, the impact of discrimination on both health service navigation and optimisation was reduced after accounting for social capital. Higher volumes of economic and social capital were associated with better healthcare experience, and with a lower probability of perceived racial discrimination.ConclusionsRacial discrimination plays a substantial role in accounting for inequality in healthcare service navigation by different migrant groups. This study highlights the need to consider the complex interplay between different forms of economic, cultural and social capital and racial discrimination when examining migrant, and racial/ethnic differences in healthcare. Healthcare inequalities arising from socioeconomic position and racism need to be addressed via multilevel policies and interventions that simultaneously tackle structural, interpersonal, and institutional dimensions of racism.

Factors associated with symptom severity in Canadian youth with mental health and/or addictions concerns accessing service navigation.

This study investigated the factors associated with clinical symptoms and level of functioning at baseline and after 4 months of navigation, in youth with mental health and/or addiction concerns involved with a family navigation service. Participants in this pre-post study were caregivers who accessed a mental health and addictions navigation service between March 2018 and July 2019 on behalf of their youth aged 13-26 who had mental health and/or addiction concerns. Evaluations were conducted at baseline and at 4months after entering navigation. The dependent variable, youth mental health symptoms and functioning, was assessed by caregivers using the Symptoms and Functioning Severity Scale. The sample included 345 caregivers of youth (youth: mean age 18 years, 57% male). At intake, using multiple linear regression, caregiver strain (β=0.481, p < 0.001), youth completion of ADLs (β=-0.156, p=0.002) and youth motivation (β=-0.110, p=0.021) contributed significantly to variance in symptoms and functioning (R2 =0.373, p < 0.001). Using ANOVA to compare complete pre/post data (n=115), there was a significant main effect of time on the youth symptoms and functioning score (F[1, 107]=9.278, p=0.003). Furthermore, the interaction of time, youth completion of ADLs (low vs. high at baseline) and youth motivation (low vs. high at baseline) was significant (F[1, 107]=4.699, p=0.032). Youth with low motivation and low completion of ADLs at baseline experienced the largest improvements in symptoms and functioning after 4 months of navigation. These findings suggest that this group of youth should be a primary target in mental health and addiction navigation.

Connecting to Early Intervention Services After Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Discharge in a Medicaid Sample.

To describe caregiver perspectives regarding connecting to early intervention (EI) services after neonatal intensive care unit discharge in a Medicaid sample. Open-ended semistructured interviews and focus groups were conducted with English- or Spanish-speaking families enrolled in Medicaid in an urban high-risk infant follow-up clinic at a safety-net center, which serves preterm and high-risk term infants. We generated salient themes using inductive-deductive thematic analysis. Thirty-two participants completed the study. The infant's median (interquartile range) birth weight was 1365 (969, 2800) grams; 50% were Hispanic; 31% reported living in a neighborhood with fourth quartile economic hardship. Eighty-one percent were classified as having chronic complex disease per the Pediatric Medical Complexity Algorithm and 63% had a diagnosis of developmental delay. A conceptual model was constructed and the analysis revealed major themes describing families' challenges and ideas to facilitate connection to EI. We identified subthemes related to the person in environment: health care environment/support and socio-economic resources, parent perspectives and built environment; provider level factors such as appointment scheduling, staff limitations, and parent suggestions to improve health care and service navigation, which included improved information sharing, the importance of patient advocates, video resources, early referrals to EI facilitated by the discharging hospital and system workarounds. The results from this study may provide a granular roadmap for providers to help facilitate referrals to EI services. We identified several ideas such as using advocates and providing transitional resources, including online media, that might improve the connection to EI services.

Changes in Perception of Caregiving Experience Following Caregiver Peer Support Within a Mental Health and Addictions Navigation Service.

Interest in navigation services in the mental health and/or addiction (MHA) sphere has grown over the past decade. However, little is known about the value of caregiver peer support in enhancing the navigation process. The Parent Advocate with Lived experience (PAL) service at the Family Navigation Project (FNP) provides peer support to caregivers supporting youth with MHA concerns. Caregivers (n = 26) were asked to rate their perceptions of their caregiver experience retrospectively and then 7weeks following contact with FNP. A repeated-measures MANOVA comparing participants who had and had not accessed PAL services demonstrated a significant main effect of time, (F(15, 8) = 5.82, p = .008, [Formula: see text] = .916), and a significant time-by-group interaction, (F(15, 8) = 3.69, p = .034, [Formula: see text] = .874), signifying participants who accessed PAL services had more positive perceptions about their caregiving experience compared to participants who had not accessed PAL service. These findings support the future development of caregiver peer support roles within MHA services.

Web-Based Peer Support Interventions for Adults Living With Chronic Conditions: Scoping Review.

BackgroundGlobally, 1 in 3 adults live with multiple chronic conditions. Thus, effective interventions are needed to prevent and manage these chronic conditions and to reduce the associated health care costs. Teaching effective self-management practices to people with chronic diseases is one strategy to address the burden of chronic conditions. With the increasing availability of and access to the internet, the implementation of web-based peer support programs has become increasingly common.ObjectiveThe purpose of this scoping review is to synthesize existing literature and key characteristics of web-based peer support programs for persons with chronic conditions. MethodsThis scoping review follows the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) extension for scoping reviews guidelines. Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. Chronic diseases identified by the Public Health Agency of Canada were included. Our review was limited to peer support interventions delivered on the web. Peers providing support had to have the chronic condition that they were providing support for. The information abstracted included the year of publication, country of study, purpose of the study, participant population, key characteristics of the intervention, outcome measures, and results. ResultsAfter duplicates were removed, 12,641 articles were screened. Data abstraction was completed for 41 articles. There was a lack of participant diversity in the included studies, specifically with respect to the conditions studied. There was a lack of studies with older participants aged ≥70 years. There was inconsistency in how the interventions were described in terms of the duration and frequency of the interventions. Informational, emotional, and appraisal support were implemented in the studied interventions. Few studies used a randomized controlled trial design. A total of 4 of the 6 randomized controlled trials reported positive and significant results, including decreased emotional distress and increased health service navigation, self-efficacy, social participation, and constructive attitudes and approaches. Among the qualitative studies included in this review, there were several positive experiences related to participating in a web-based peer support intervention, including increased compassion and improved attitudes toward the individual’s chronic condition, access to information, and empowerment.ConclusionsThere is limited recent, high-level evidence on web-based peer support interventions. Where evidence exists, significant improvements in social participation, self-efficacy, and health-directed activity were demonstrated. Some studies incorporated a theoretical framework, and all forms of peer support—emotional, informational, and appraisal support—were identified in the studies included in this review. We recommend further research on web-based peer support in more diverse patient groups (eg, for older adults and chronic conditions outside of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and HIV or AIDS). Key gaps in the area of web-based peer support will serve to inform the development and implementation of future programs.

Digital secondary prevention follow-up after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at home: what are the users perspectives?

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Private hospital(s). Main funding source(s): LHL Hospital Gardermoen Bergesen Foundation Digital Secondary Prevention Follow-up After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) at Home: What are the Users Perspectives? Background Secondary prevention for patients with established CHD is the mainstay of cardiovascular rehabilitation, but is not accessible to all eligible patients. Digital delivery offers a way to widen participation in secondary prevention to PCI patients, but little is known about users’ preferences. Purpose The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore service users, carers and health professionals views about potential challenges experienced in secondary prevention after PCI and preferences for support to inform the development of a digital home program. Methods A series of three focus group interviews were conducted in a broad user panel with former PCI patients (4), next-of-kin (1) and interdisciplinary health care professionals (4) between March 2017 and September 2019. Data was audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. Results Three main themes and sub-themes on challenges and preferences for digital follow-up were identified: (1) Technology: feasibility including safety, integration with known platforms, functionality, and user-friendly navigation were major assets, as well as the capability of monitoring medication adherence, smoking cessation and physical activity. (2) Communication: interactive, direct, clear, supportive, encouraging, visualizing, humorous, using virtual meeting rooms, as well as including direct responses on patients’ self-motivation and achieved goals and (3) Health information: basic step-by-step facts and questions-and-answers (FAQ), being practical, visual, and including side effects of medications and health services navigation. Conclusion User perspectives from former patients, next-of-kin and health care professionals reveal a preference for digital secondary prevention which offers functionality, communication, and health information during follow-up at home after a PCI.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Improves Self-Management Ability in Subjects With Obstructive Lung Disease.

Optimizing self-management is a key element in multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with asthma or COPD. This observational study aimed to investigate the changes in self-management following pulmonary rehabilitation in subjects with chronic lung disease. Data were prospectively and routinely gathered at initial assessment and discharge in subjects taking part in a 12-week multidisciplinary out-patient pulmonary rehabilitation program. Measures of self-management included the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (HEIQ) (8 subscales), a Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (2 subscales), the Lung Information Needs Questionnaire (LINQ), and the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) (9 subscales). Mean differences with 95% CI and effect sizes were computed. A total of 70 subjects (62.9% women) were included, with a median age of 63.5 y; most of the subjects had been diagnosed with COPD (77%). Between admission and discharge, all measures of self-management increased significantly except for the HEIQ subscales of constructive attitudes and approaches, social integration and support, and health services navigation; and the HLQ subscale of social support for health. The largest improvements (effect size > 0.55) were seen for the PAM (0.57); the HEIQ subscales of health-directed behavior (0.71), self-monitoring and insight (0.62), and skill and technique acquisition (1.00); the HLQ subscales of having sufficient information to manage my health (1.21) and actively managing my health (0.66); and the LINQ (1.85). Self-management, including activation, improved significantly in subjects with asthma or COPD who took part in a multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation program.

CuidaTXT: A Text Message Dementia-Caregiver Intervention for Latinos

Latino family caregivers of people with dementia have low access to caregiver support. Text messaging holds potential to dramatically enhance the reach of caregiver support interventions among Latinos. This presentation will describe the CuidaTXT Project, with a special emphasis on approach to recruitment and community engagement to achieve the objectives of designing and testing the first dementia caregiver-support text message intervention for Latinos. Based on the Stress Process Framework, CuidaTXT incorporates social support and coping components including AD education, problem-solving skills training, social network support, care management and referral to community resources via tailored two-way messaging. Engagement in CuidaTXT benefited from multi-source recruitment efforts in the Latino community-network built over a three-year period. The network is comprised of senior, religious and community centers, the local media, clinics, a Latino registry and a dementia health navigation service. This presentation will describe processes for assembling and engaging the network for CuidaTXT.

Once is rarely enough: can social prescribing facilitate adherence to non-clinical community and voluntary sector health services? Empirical evidence from Germany

BackgroundNon-clinical health interventions provided by the voluntary and community sector can improve patients’ health and well-being and reduce pressure on primary and secondary care, but only if patients adhere to them. This study provides novel insights into the impact of doctor referrals to such services, known as social prescribing, on patients’ adherence to them.MethodsUsing a negative binomial model, we analysed electronic visitor records from a community health advice and navigation service in Germany between January 2018 and December 2019 to determine whether social prescribing was associated with greater adherence to the service (measured in terms of return visits) compared to patients who self-referred. We also explored whether this effect differed according to patient characteristics.ResultsBased on 1734 observations, we found that social prescribing was significantly associated with a greater number of return visits compared to patient self-referrals (p < 0.05). For patients who visited the service because of psychological concerns, the effect of social prescribing was lower. For all other patient characteristics, the effect remained unchanged, suggesting relevance to all other patient groups.ConclusionsThe results of our study indicate that social prescribing may be an effective way to facilitate adherence to non-clinical community and voluntary sector health services. This knowledge is important for policy makers who are deciding whether to implement or expand upon social prescribing schemes.

Client perceptions of engaging with a health and social care navigation service: A qualitative study.

Health and social care navigation services provide support for people with long-term conditions. Such services are available in the New Zealand (NZ) context. However little is known nationally or internationally about clients' experience of engaging with such services. This study aimed to describe client perspectives of engaging with a health and social care navigation service in a NZ metropolitan city. The manager and navigators of the service recruited clients who were previous users of the service. We individually interviewed nine clients (F = 7; M = 2; aged between 30-80 years) in their homes. Many of the participants reported social isolation, and some were without regular income. We transcribed interviews verbatim and analysed data thematically. There was one overall theme: Restoration of my essence or being (in the Māori language, wairua), and sense of belonging (turangawaewae) through a regenerative approach developed in partnership between the navigator and the client. Thus, participants felt renewed and validated as human beings. Enabling clients to feel re-valued as human beings captures the concept of personhood whereby a person has capability and capacity for life choices. We suggest enabling a client to feel valued assists in development of self-determination and consequently improved health and well-being.

Abstract B108: Using patient navigation to inform determinants of breast cancer disparities among under-resourced women in Chicago

Abstract Background: Under-resourced women are subject to many factors that increase their risk of morbidity and mortality from breast cancer, such as being uninsured or underinsured and not having a medical home or primary care provider. They may also lack additional resources to access care such as transportation. Due to variance in mammography recommendations among health organizations, lack of knowledge or confusion about when to receive screening also poses a challenge to both women and providers. Objective: A partnership between University of Illinois (UI) Cancer Center, UI Hospital &amp; Health System, and Chicago Department of Public Health was developed to initiate an implementation science program that aims to mitigate these barriers by providing free breast cancer screening services and patient navigation to under-resourced women at our Mile Square Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). The program also aims to increase community partnerships to extend community outreach and identify factors that facilitate or challenge women's access to breast care services. Methods: Breast health screening and navigation services are offered at 5 Mile Square FQHC clinics and through “mammography party” events with community partners. Navigators facilitate women's care through screening and any follow-up services, link patients to additional resources, and provide breast health education. Data obtained through electronic medical records and direct correspondence with women and providers are managed securely in REDCap and analyzed with SPSS software. A program evaluation will be implemented in September 2018. Program activities are ongoing. Results: Four hundred ten women completed a screening mammogram from August 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. Ninety-seven percent of women were racial minorities, most of whom were Latina (60.2%), African American (31.5%) and uninsured (67.8%). Among this cohort of women, the recall rate (24.6%) and cancer detection rate (17 per 1000) exceeded Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium 2013 recall and cancer detection rate benchmarks (11.5% and 4.8 per 1000, respectively). Ages of women diagnosed (n=7) ranged from 40 to 68 years. The majority of diagnosed women were uninsured (n=6), 4 of whom were not eligible for health insurance. Conclusion: Patient navigation has proven to be effective in increasing breast cancer screening rates, access to care and resources, and disseminating breast health education; however, systematic barriers to care still persist. Although the Affordable Care Act has been instrumental in increasing the number of insured Americans, health care costs still pose a significant challenge for those who are underinsured or not eligible to be insured. Additionally, our data imply that some recommended guidelines for mammography may not address the screening needs for women who are at higher risk for breast cancer, and more personalized screening based on a woman's individual risk factors may be instrumental in ameliorating breast cancer disparities. Citation Format: Vida Henderson, Karriem Watson, Kathy Tossas-Milligan, Erica Martinez, Mariela Rodriguez, Barbara Williams, Paola Torres, Lisa Aponte-Soto, Robert Winn. Using patient navigation to inform determinants of breast cancer disparities among under-resourced women in Chicago [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr B108.