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Module 1: Patient navigation and health disparities
History of patient navigation
Did you know?
People with lower incomes are more likely to die from cancer. Their chance of surviving cancer is about 10-15% lower than other Americans.
How did patient navigation get its start?
Some groups of people run into barriers that keep them from getting medical care. These groups are minorities, the poor and the uninsured. The barriers these groups face can lead to a inequity in getting healthcare services. That inequity is called a health disparity.
To address the problem, Dr. Harold Freeman, President of the American Cancer Society, held a series of hearings in 1989 to determine the prevention and treatment needs of underserved cancer patients, to identify the barriers they face, and to find programs and strategies that manage those barriers.
What were the key findings of the 1989 American Cancer Society hearings?
At the hearing, testimony from impoverished cancer patients revealed that their cancer treatment experiences differed from other groups. The key findings were that economically disadvantaged patients:
- Endure greater pain and suffering
- Make extraordinary personal sacrifices to obtain and pay for care
- Face substantial obstacles in obtaining and using health insurance
- Do not seek care if they cannot pay for it
- Encounter education programs that are culturally insensitive and irrelevant to their situation
- Have fatalistic feelings about diagnosis and treatment
For more information about the hearings, read A summary of the American Cancer Society Report to the Nation: Cancer in the Poor.
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