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Journal of General Internal Medicine
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine 4/2016

01-04-2016 | Review Paper

Navigating Language Barriers: A Systematic Review of Patient Navigators’ Impact on Cancer Screening for Limited English Proficient Patients

Authors: Margaux C. Genoff, BS, Alexandra Zaballa, BS, Francesca Gany, MD, MS, Javier Gonzalez, BS, Julia Ramirez, BS, Sarah T. Jewell, BS, Lisa C. Diamond, MD MPH

Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Issue 4/2016

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ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES

To systematically review the literature on the impact of patient navigators on cancer screening for limited English proficient (LEP) patients.

DATA SOURCES

Electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO via OVID, Web of Science, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Scopus) through 8 May 2015.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Articles in this review had: (1) a study population of LEP patients eligible for breast, cervical or colorectal cancer screenings, (2) a patient navigator intervention to provide services prior to or during cancer screening, (3) a comparison of the patient navigator intervention to either a control group or another intervention, and (4) language-specific outcomes related to the patient navigator intervention.

STUDY APPRAISAL

We assessed the quality of the articles using the Downs and Black Scale.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and evaluated the screening rates for breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer in 15 language populations. Fourteen studies resulted in improved screening rates for LEP patients between 7 and 60 %. There was great variability in the patient navigation interventions evaluated. Training received by navigators was not reported in nine of the studies and no studies assessed the language skills of the patient navigators in English or the target language.

LIMITATIONS

This study is limited by the variability in study designs and limited reporting on patient navigator interventions, which reduces the ability to draw conclusions on the full effect of patient navigators.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, we found evidence that navigators improved screening rates for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening for LEP patients. Future studies should systematically collect data on the training curricula for navigators and assess their English and non-English language skills in order to identify ways to reduce disparities for LEP patients.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Navigating Language Barriers: A Systematic Review of Patient Navigators’ Impact on Cancer Screening for Limited English Proficient Patients
Authors
Margaux C. Genoff, BS
Alexandra Zaballa, BS
Francesca Gany, MD, MS
Javier Gonzalez, BS
Julia Ramirez, BS
Sarah T. Jewell, BS
Lisa C. Diamond, MD MPH
Publication date
01-04-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of General Internal Medicine / Issue 4/2016
Print ISSN: 0884-8734
Electronic ISSN: 1525-1497
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-015-3572-3

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WHO estimates that half of all patients worldwide are non-adherent to their prescribed medication. The consequences of poor adherence can be catastrophic, on both the individual and population level.

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