1 Department of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute , Salt Lake City, Utah.
2 University of Utah , College of Nursing, Salt Lake City, Utah.
J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2018 Aug;7(4):438-444. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2017.0124. Epub 2018 May 3.
To describe how distance to treatment location influences patient navigation preferences for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients and survivors.
This study is part of a statewide needs assessment to inform the development of an AYA cancer patient and survivor navigation program. Participants were recruited from outpatient oncology clinics in Utah. Eligible participants had been diagnosed with cancer between ages 15-39 and had completed at least 1 month of treatment. Participants completed a semi-structured interview on preferences for patient navigation. Summary statistics of demographic and cancer characteristics were generated. Thematic content analysis was used to describe navigation preferences among participants classified as distance (≥20 miles) and local (<20 miles), to explain differences in their needs based on distance from their treatment center.
The top three patient navigation needs were general information, financial, and emotional support. More local patients were interested in patient navigation services (95.2%) compared to distance participants (77.8%). Fewer local (38.1%) than distance participants (61.1%) reported challenges getting to appointments, and distance patients needed specific financial support to support their travel (e.g., fuel, lodging). Both local and distance patients desired to connect with a navigator in person before using another form of communication and wanted to connect with a patient navigator at the time of initial diagnosis.
Distance from treatment center is an important patient navigation consideration for AYA cancer patients and survivors. After initially connecting with AYAs in person, patient navigators can provide resources remotely to help reduce travel burden.
描述治疗地点的距离如何影响青少年和年轻成人（AYA）癌症患者和幸存者对患者导航的偏好。
本研究是全州范围需求评估的一部分，旨在为 AYA 癌症患者和幸存者导航计划的制定提供信息。参与者从犹他州的门诊肿瘤诊所招募。符合条件的参与者在 15-39 岁之间被诊断出患有癌症，并完成了至少 1 个月的治疗。参与者完成了关于患者导航偏好的半结构化访谈。生成了人口统计学和癌症特征的摘要统计数据。使用主题内容分析来描述被归类为距离（≥20 英里）和本地（<20 英里）的参与者的导航偏好，以根据与治疗中心的距离来解释他们需求的差异。
患者导航的前三大需求是一般信息、财务和情感支持。与距离参与者（77.8%）相比，更多的本地参与者（95.2%）对患者导航服务感兴趣。较少的本地参与者（38.1%）比距离参与者（61.1%）报告在预约方面存在困难，距离参与者需要特定的财务支持来支持他们的旅行（例如，燃料、住宿）。本地和距离的参与者都希望在使用其他形式的沟通之前先与导航员进行面对面的交流，并希望在初次诊断时与患者导航员联系。
治疗中心的距离是 AYA 癌症患者和幸存者患者导航的一个重要考虑因素。在最初与 AYA 进行面对面交流后，患者导航员可以远程提供资源，以帮助减轻旅行负担。
