Community health outreach workers (CHOWs) have been demonstrated to increase CRC screening patient education for vulnerable, medically underserved patients as well as increase CRC screening rates in rural populations.1,2 This project examined the effectiveness of CHOWs in increasing CRC screening rates among low-income, underserved ethnic minorities in Portland, Maine. Eligible patients were ages 50-75; due for CRC screening; enrolled in Medicaid or had no health insurance; and spoke Arabic, English, French, Kinyarwanda, Somali, Spanish or Vietnamese. Seven CHOWs were trained in CRC screening outreach and assigned to patients from their own ethnic communities where they employed culturally sensitive interventions to reduce barriers to CRC screening. CHOWs attempted contact with patients by phone four times prior to sending a language-specific letter to patients recommending CRC screening. CHOWs offered fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) or colonoscopy and provided tailored education and frequent reminders for colonoscopies, explanations about procedures for bowel preps, transportation to colonoscopies, reminders and instructions for FIT completion as well as assistance with health insurance and financial barriers. Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to: Define the role of a community health outreach worker (CHOW) in CRC screening. State three common sociocultural barriers patients experience for CRC screening. Identify the efficacy of CHOWs in increasing CRC screening rates.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etsu-works-7700 |
| Date | 27 April 2019 |
| Creators | Usatine, Richard, Holt, Jim, Verdieck-Devlaeminck, Alex, Lu, Miranda |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | ETSU Faculty Works |
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