| Although minority women and women of lower economic status are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, they have higher breast cancer mortality rates than their white counterparts. The significance of this relationship is that disparities exist in breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and care. To address the existing disparities in breast cancer, many healthcare organizations have developed Patient Navigation programs to help close this gap by pinpointing and addressing barriers. Once the barriers are identified, the patient navigator provides resources through the organization and community to help the patient receive timely and quality care. In this capstone the author discusses several Breast Cancer Patient Navigation programs that have been implemented in healthcare organizations in the United States and identifies the best practices across the programs. A literature review of studies conducted on breast cancer patient navigation programs and an analysis of each using two theoretical frameworks, the five A's of quality health care and the cancer care continuum, in patient navigation is used to identify best practices in the field. The author of this capstone concluded that the best practices in breast cancer patient navigation programs were timeliness, inclusion of outreach and screening in the cancer care continuum, streamlined mechanisms to address barriers, and cultural competence. Keywords: Health Care Administration, Dr. Dana Hart, Professor Maria DeGiglio, Patient Navigation, Breast Cancer, Disparities, Barriers, Best Practices. |
