title: The Role of Patient Navigation on Colorectal Cancer Screening Completion and Education: a Review of the Literature.
abstract: Although the general assumption is that patient navigation helps patients adhere to CRC screening recommendations, concrete evidence for its effectiveness is still currently under investigation. The present literature review was conducted to explore effectiveness of patient navigation and education on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening completion in medically underserved populations. Data collection included PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane reviews searches. Study inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trials and prospective investigations that included an intervention and control group. Case series, brief communications, commentaries, case reports, and uncontrolled studies were excluded. Twenty-seven of the 36 studies screened for relevance were selected for inclusion. Most studies explored the utility of lay and clinic-based patient navigation. Others implemented interventions that included tailored messaging, and culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach and education efforts to meet CRC screening needs of medically underserved individuals. More recent studies have begun to conduct cost-effectiveness analyses of patient navigation programs that impacted CRC screening and completion. Peer-reviewed publications consistently indicate a positive impact of patient navigation programs on CRC screening completion, as well have provided preliminary evidence for their cost-effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Ajeesh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sunny
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. rustveld@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3121-3028
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rustveld
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D062526:Patient Navigation; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: Colorectal cancer; Fecal immunochemical test; Fecal occult blood test; Patient navigation