Patient Navigation to Improve Patient-Centered Cancer Care

Mass General Brigham

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Cancer

Treatments: Other: Usual Care; Other: Patient Navigation Program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03226405

17-183

Details and patient eligibility

About

The MGH Cancer Center's patient navigation (PN) program, utilizes specially trained community-based personnel to improve cancer care in underserved communities by increasing cancer screening and removing barriers to timely care. This program incorporate rigorous evaluation to demonstrate the impact of innovation in healthcare delivery.

Full description

This program allow cancer patients from MGH Community Health Centers (CHC) and surrounding communities who experience barriers to accessing care, including poverty, and limited English proficiency, and provide them navigation to receive timely, guideline-concordant treatment at MGH Cancer Center. By offering these vulnerable individuals a patient-centered approach to treatment, The investigators aim to promote patient engagement and increase access throughout the continuum of cancer care.

Enrollment: 400 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Adult patients (age 18 and older)

• Newly diagnosed with cancer referred from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) community health centers in

  • Revere
  • Chelsea
  • Charlestown
  • surrounding communities referred to receive cancer treatment at the MGH Cancer Center

Exclusion criteria

-Patients that primary care providers exclude

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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400 participants in 2 patient groups

Patient Navigation Program

Experimental group

Description:

* The study team will identify, track, and provide navigation for all adult patients referred to Cancer Center from the CHC and community partners for cancer treatment. * The Patient Navigation Program include * Education, * Appointment reminders, * Help with insurance, * Transportation, * Navigating the Cancer Center, * Assisting in finding appropriate child care, * Interpreting, * Connecting the patient to psychosocial and/or palliative care teams, * Physically escorting the patient to appointments

Treatment:

Other: Patient Navigation Program

Standard of Care

Active Comparator group

Description:

* The patients will receive enhanced usual care, * This consist of personal phone call reminders about upcoming appointments at the MGH Cancer Center

Treatment:

Other: Usual Care