title: Exploring the role of community health workers in providing cancer navigation: perceptions of African American older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To obtain experiential data regarding African American older adult survivors' perceptions of and recommendations on the role of community health workers (CHWs) in providing a cancer navigation intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rural Virginia and urban Maryland.
  
  
  METHODS
  48 African American solid-tumor cancer survivors, aged 65 years or older, with Medicare insurance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis was accomplished through a reflexive process of transcript review, categorization, and interpretation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Themes and accompanying categories identified were uneasiness surrounding the CHW role (disconnect between identified support needs and CHW role, essential CHW characteristics, and potential application of CHWs), recommendations to adequately address cancer needs (coordinating cancer treatment and unmet needs during cancer), and the importance of individualized interventions. Participants provided specific recommendations regarding the role of the CHW and how to develop supportive interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study participants had surprisingly limited prior exposure to the CHW role. However, they stated that, in certain circumstances, CHWs could effectively assist older adult African Americans undergoing cancer diagnosis or treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study findings can be helpful to researchers and to healthcare providers engaged in assisting older African Americans during cancer diagnosis and treatment. The results lay a foundation for developing culturally appropriate interventions to assist this at-risk population.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. jwenzel@jhu.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.forename: Randy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klimmek
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Szanton
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krumm
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019090:Case Management; D003150:Community Health Workers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States