Evaluating the WEB training program for cancer screening in Native American women

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Nursing Education

Background:

• The Native Women Enjoying the Benefit (WEB) program trains nurses for breast and cervical cancer screenings.
• Previous evaluations indicate improvements in nurses' knowledge, skills, and behaviors, benefiting clinics and patients.
• Program sustainability depends on aligning its values with sponsoring institutions and the broader healthcare context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the alignment of Native WEB program values with its immediate (sponsoring medical institution) and distal (broader healthcare context) environments.
• To assess if the program reflects the perspectives of these environments.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the Native WEB program's values and principles.
• Examination of the values and principles of the sponsoring medical institution.
• Assessment of the values and principles within the broader healthcare context.
• Utilized Catholic social teaching's concept of social justice as a framework for synthesis and comparison.

Main Results:

• Social justice principles, as articulated in Catholic social teaching, provided a unifying framework for the values of both environments.
• The Native WEB program's alignment with these social justice principles was evaluated against the perspectives of its immediate and distal environments.

Conclusions:

• Social justice serves as a valuable lens for understanding and potentially ensuring the long-term viability of health programs.
• Alignment with social justice principles, reflecting institutional and contextual values, is crucial for program longevity and effectiveness in serving Native American women's health needs.