Using a lay cancer screening navigator to increase colorectal cancer screening rates.

INTRODUCTION: Preventive care is often not performed during the ambulatory office visit due to the acute nature of the visit. One possible strategy is the use of a lay cancer screening navigator using the lay health worker model.
METHODS: A training program for the lay cancer screening navigator and a patient registry for colorectal cancer screening was developed. The RE-AIM framework was used to evaluate the intervention. Descriptive statistics were generated for patient demographics.
RESULTS: Reach: The lay cancer screening navigator contacted 91.9% of eligible patients. Effectiveness: At baseline, 28.6% of patients were current on their colorectal cancer screening, 40.5% at 6 months, and 42.2% at 12 months. Adoption: Patients contacted all reported being receptive to the intervention. IMPLEMENTATION: Of the 368 fecal immunochemical test kits mailed, 151 were returned (41.0%), and 26 (17.2%) were positive. Maintenance: The percentage of patients who were current between 6 months and at 12 months were not significantly different. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates that the use of a lay cancer screening navigator to increase the rate of colorectal cancer screening is a viable strategy. © Copyright 2015 by the American Board of Family Medicine.