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Telephone helpline increases access to cancer prevention, control programs
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The addition of a telephone-based cancer control navigation intervention to a helpline’s existing services helped callers access cancer control measures, according to study results presented at AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved.
Cancer screenings, vaccination and smoking cessation programs are underutilized, but patient navigation can help increase uptake of these practices. Use of cancer control services can be especially important to improve outcomes among minorities, the uninsured and those living in poverty.
“There are many programs available to help low-income people receive health care, but they don’t always know about them,” Maria E. Fernandez, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, said in a press release. “We wondered if we could use the helpline structure to ask people about their health and, if we were able to assess their risk, if we could connect them to programs in their community.”
Fernandez and colleagues partnered with 2-1-1 call centers — a nationally designated helpline that provides access to health and social services for low-income and minority callers — to assess cancer control needs and deliver a prevention program to underserved individuals in Houston and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Researchers trained the 2-1-1 staff to conduct a needs assessment for callers. This included cancer screening needs for mammogram, Pap test and colorectal cancer screening, as well as HPV vaccination and smoking cessation.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive referral to these services alone, or in addition to cancer control navigation, which involved a discussion of barriers — such as negative attitudes about screening, lack of transportation and difficulty taking time off work — and how to overcome them.
The study included data from 1,736 callers, 1,119 of whom received additional navigation. Participants completed follow-up surveys at 3 months and 6 months to determine whether they underwent the needed cancer control services.
In total, participants completed 487 screenings and other behaviors. Results showed cancer control navigation increased the use of any screening or behavior by 21% (P < .05).
The navigation led to a 53%, statistically significant increase in use of Pap tests (P < .05). Other, nonsignificant increases occurred, including a 40% increase in colorectal cancer screening, 17% increase in mammography, 43% increase in HPV vaccination of daughters, and 90% increase in use of smoking cessation programs.
Researchers acknowledged the loss of participants to follow-up may be a limitation to these data.
“This study was designed and implemented in the real world,” Fernandez said. “This type of collaboration has great potential to connect large numbers of medically underserved individuals to cancer control and prevention services and decrease the burden of cancer in underserved populations including the poor, ethnic minorities and rural residents.” – by Alexandra Todak
Reference:
Fernandez ME, et al. Abstract PR12, C49. Presented at: AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Sept. 25-28, 2016; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Disclosure: The study was funded by the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas and the NCI. Fernandez reports no relevant financial disclosures.