A Community-Based Partnership to Successfully Implement and Maintain a Breast Health Navigation Program.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Breast cancer screening reduces mortality but utilization is low in many populations.
• A study clinic reported only 12% of eligible women aged 40+ received mammograms annually.
• Barriers to screening include cost, system, and individual-level factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a patient navigation program to increase mammography utilization.
• To identify women overdue for mammograms and facilitate screening and follow-up.
• To assess barriers to mammography and the program's impact over two years.

Main Methods:

• A patient navigator contacted women overdue for mammograms up to three times.
• Navigation addressed system and individual barriers to mammography and follow-up care.
• Mammography utilization was compared between navigated and non-navigated women using statistical tests.

Main Results:

• The program successfully navigated 94.8% of eligible women.
• 94% of navigated women completed their mammograms, reaching 89% of the target population.
• Cost was the most frequently cited barrier to mammography.

Conclusions:

• Patient navigation is an effective, evidence-based strategy to increase mammography screening rates.
• Addressing financial and structural barriers is crucial for improving access to preventive services.
• The program demonstrated significant impact in a high-need population and is sustainable.