ASPO Abstracts
Cancer Health Awareness through Screening and Education (CHANGE): A Community Approach to Healthy Equity
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2022
Abstract Body:
PURPOSE. The goal of the CHANGE project is to provide a sustainable model of evidence-based cancer awareness through education - with an emphasis on prevention and early detection behaviors. Using community based patient stories, we seek to impact health equity by developing a health disparities and culturally competent cancer care e-Learning curriculum for health care professionals, hematology-oncology fellows, residents, and medical students at the Medical College of Georgia. METHODS. Thirty community members and stakeholders (93% African American (AA), 76% female, all adults) were recruited through public housing, healthcare clinics and providers, and community organizations. Vignettes describing patient access and care interactions were used in semi-structured interviews to guide conversations about experiences accessing care, attitudes towards cancer prevention, and community cancer beliefs. Interviews were recorded, professionally transcribed, and content analyzed using NVivo 12.0 by two independent raters.RESULTS. Three common themes emerged: accessibility of healthcare, cancer myths and cultural norms and the experience of racial bias in health care. Subjects shared stories of difficulties accessing public transportation, with delays that caused appointment rescheduling - up to 2 months later, impacting preventive and clinical cancer care. Subjects shared community norms such as "cancer is contagious," "faith will heal me," and "treatment of cancer is about making money." In addition, mistrust of providers was defined by misunderstanding or unclear instructions on medication and a lack of follow up by providers. Numerous references to historical mistreatment of AAs informed a general cautiousness about interactions with healthcare providers, and a perception of racial bias in their receipt of healthcare.CONCLUSION. This sample adequately represented those most at risk for cancer in Augusta, GA area. Their shared experiences will be used to inform provider education on health disparities across the state and specific to the local community. This will impact health equity by emphasizing a comprehensive approach to care that will begin to improve patient satisfaction and health outcomes.
Keywords: Health Disparities Access to Care Cancer Prevention