title: Providers' Views on a Community-Wide Patient Navigation Program: Implications for Dissemination and Future Implementation.
abstract: The DuPage Patient Navigation Collaborative (DPNC) adapted and scaled the Patient Navigation Research Program's intervention model to navigate uninsured suburban DuPage County women with an abnormal breast or cervical cancer screening result. Recent findings reveal the effectiveness of the DPNC in addressing patient risk factors for delayed follow-up, but gaps remain as patient measures may not adequately capture navigator impact. Using semistructured interviews with 19 DPNC providers (representing the county health department, clinics, advocacy organizations, and academic partners), this study explores the critical roles of the DPNC in strengthening community partnerships and enhancing clinical services. Findings from these provider interviews revealed that a wide range of resources existed within DuPage but were often underused. Providers indicated that the DPNC was instrumental in fostering community partnerships and that navigators enhanced the referral processes, communications, and service delivery among clinical teams. Providers also recommended expanding navigation to mental health, women's health, and for a variety of chronic conditions. Considering that many in the United States have recently gained access to the health care system, clinical teams might benefit by incorporating navigators who serve a dual working purpose embedded in the community and clinics to enhance the service delivery for vulnerable populations.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Erika E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: de la Riva
authors.affiliation: Access DuPage, Carol Stream, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hajjar
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Laura S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Tom
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: XinQi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, IL, USA m-simon2@md.northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D062526:Patient Navigation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011203:Poverty; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: access to health care; breast cancer; cervical cancer; community-based participatory research; health disparities; minority health