Latinas CaPACES: Connecting and Promoting Active Cancer Engagement Successfully using a Culturally-Tailored Digital Tool to Reduce Delays in Breast Cancer Diagnostic Follow-up Testing and Treatment

Project Summary Evidence reveals racial/ethnic disparities in the quality of patient-provider communication among breast cancer patients. Health providers are lacking in the ability to communicate in a clear and culturally competent manner with Latina breast cancer patients. Among low-income Latinas who delayed follow-up after receiving abnormal cancer screening results, salient barriers to follow-up included lack of understanding of the information provided to them about their mammogram findings and/or the recommended diagnostic procedures, and fear about a possible cancer diagnosis. Delayed treatment has a significant impact on prognosis and survival of subsequent breast cancer. We will design a linguistically- and culturally-tailored digital tool that enhances the discussion between low-income and low-literate Latina patients by breaking down the information in clear and comprehensible ways to help the patients better understand what is being discussed and by removing communication barriers around literacy, numeracy, and education. Patients will also remember what is discussed as all the visual activity that occurs on the screen can be saved as an animation and shared with family members. The digital tool will also address the structural barriers encountered by low-income and low-literate Latina patients by providing an interactive module that connects patients to needed resources. Culturally- and linguistically-tailored communication between patient navigators and patients has the potential to have significant positive impact: increased level of breast cancer knowledge, a greater level of understanding and retention of what was discussed during the encounter, and a higher level of communication satisfaction with the peer navigator.