Grant Number:	5R01CA120606-05 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Dignan, Mark
Organization:	University Of Kentucky
Project Title:	Patient Navigation for Cervical Cancer in Appalachia
Fiscal Year:	2011

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the past five decades, mortality rates from cervical cancer have decreased by approximately 75%. This reduction is largely attributable to the Pap smear and improvements in treatment. Despite this encouraging reduction, certain groups of women have not experienced significant benefits and remain at disproportionate risk of death from cervical cancer. Among these women are those living in rural areas, particularly middle aged and older women who live in rural Appalachia. This population continues to have among the highest cervical cancer mortality rates, and efforts to address this problem have fallen short of their objectives. To reduce the unequal and unnecessary burden from cervical cancer experienced by rural Appalachian women, we propose to undertake a community-based patient navigator (PN) intervention in partnership with local public health departments. In this proposed project we intend to develop, administer, and evaluate a plan for effective utilization of lay health workers as PNs in local health department cervical cancer screening programs. The aims are: 1) to improve understanding of the barriers to follow-up experienced by women with abnormal Pap test results; 2) in conjunction with designated nurse case managers, to recruit, train and utilize lay health workers as PNs in local health departments' cervical cancer screening and follow-up treatment programs; and 3) with extensive input from women who do not follow-up after abnormal results and through the development of a PN program, to increase the proportion of patients who are adherent with recommendations for timely abnormal Pap test follow-up. The project will be conducted in 26 public health departments in rural southeastern Kentucky. A lagged design will be used in which the health departments will be randomized to intervention or delayed intervention groups. A total of 858 patients will be enrolled in the project, 429 in the intervention group and 429 in the delayed intervention group. Patients who do not keep scheduled follow-up appointments for abnormal Pap smear results will be eligible and referred to PNs and enrolled. Assessment will occur in face-to-face interviews at baseline and again at two points after the intervention.




Psychological factors among Appalachian women with abnormal Pap results.
Authors: Adegboyega A. , Dignan M. , Sha S. , Nkwonta C. , Williams L.B. .
Source: The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 2022 Mar; 38(2), p. 382-390.
EPub date: 2021-05-06.
PMID: 33955052
Related Citations

Cervical cancer screening: exploring Appalachian patients' barriers to follow-up care.
Authors: Ely G.E. , White C. , Jones K. , Feltner F. , Gomez M. , Shelton B. , Slone S. , Van Meter E. , Desimone C. , Schoenberg N. , et al. .
Source: Social work in health care, 2014; 53(2), p. 83-95.
PMID: 24483330
Related Citations

Effectiveness of an Intervention for Adherence to Follow-up Recommendations for Abnormal Pap Tests in Appalachian Kentucky.
Authors: Dignan M. , White C. , Schoenberg N. , Shelton B. , Feltner F. , Slone S. , Van Meter E. , DeSimone C. , Ely G. .
Source: Health behavior and policy review, 2014 Jan; 1(1), p. 6-15.
PMID: 28761895
Related Citations

Evaluation of Patient Needs and Patient Navigator Communication about Cervical Cancer Prevention in Appalachian Kentucky.
Authors: Cohen E.L. , Scott A.M. , White C.R. , Dignan M.B. .
Source: The Journal of communication, 2013 Feb; 63(1), p. 72-94.
EPub date: 2013-01-07.
PMID: 27030783
Related Citations

Inconsistencies between medical records and patient-reported recommendations for follow-up after abnormal Pap tests.
Authors: Slone S. , White C. , Shelton B. , Van Meter E. , DeSimone C. , Schoenberg N. , Dignan M. .
Source: Journal of women's health (2002), 2013 Feb; 22(2), p. 147-52.
EPub date: 2012-11-12.
PMID: 23145889
Related Citations

Perspectives on Pap test follow-up care among rural Appalachian women.
Authors: Schoenberg N. , Baltisberger J. , Bardach S. , Dignan M. .
Source: Women & health, 2010 Sep; 50(6), p. 580-97.
PMID: 20981638
Related Citations

Cervical cancer prevention: new tools and old barriers.
Authors: Scarinci I.C. , Garcia F.A. , Kobetz E. , Partridge E.E. , Brandt H.M. , Bell M.C. , Dignan M. , Ma G.X. , Daye J.L. , Castle P.E. .
Source: Cancer, 2010-06-01; 116(11), p. 2531-42.
PMID: 20310056
Related Citations