Navigator program helps fight cancer
“They identify patients that are eligible, put a prompt in their record to alert their doctors and the doctors provide the medical clearance (for the screenings),” explained Denise Ballard, vice president of cancer prevention and control for the Cancer Coalition.
The navigators maintain contact with the patients, prompting them to follow proper preparatory procedures. From the first phone call until the time the screening is complete, the patient has talked to their navigator eight times.
“The navigators get the patients into lab services or hospital services (as needed) and help them with financial services,” Ballard said. “We prevent them from running into roadblocks.”
The program was piloted in Baker County in 2006 and eventually expanded to the influence it has now. The health navigator system was fully up and running by 2008.
In that time, a total of 800 colonoscopies have been done through the program with six cancers found.
Navigators conduct one-on-one patient education and preparatory procedures, assist patients with the proper paperwork, arrange transportation as needed, arrange initial surgical treatment if its necessary, collect and report data, ensure timely medical record transfer among providers and provide performance feedback to referring physicians.
“We walk them through every step of the process,” Ballard said. They remain on the program’s radar indefinitely.
“As long as the patient is with the community health center, they stay in our system,” Ballard said. “Right now, we have patients coming back for their five-year screenings.”
The Cancer Coalition covers the cost of the colonoscopies, which it is able to do in part from a grant from the Georgia Cancer Coalition. The end result of the process is that a relationship forms between the navigator and the patient.
“They tend to rely on us,” Ballard said. “They come back to us if they need to be connected with the right services.”
Charles Greene, one of the navigators, said that education is perhaps the most important thing that he does while citing a study from the Nancy C. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, which found that eliminating the education barrier can reduce cancer deaths among African-American males by 50 percent.
“Education is the largest thing we do,” Greene said. “People don’t know when to get screened our where to go.”
Education may mean explaining to a patient what a colonoscopy is. “We get them, educate them and they share their experiences with other people,” Green said.
Colonoscopy Patient Experience - News
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In older people, there has been an increase in the percentage of mortality because of colon cancer. Since colonoscopy presents no high risk of damage, it has become a routine to perform this procedure to people ages 50 and above.
Just like with any invasive procedures, preparation is of high importance. The patient for colonoscopy is given instructions that the colon must be completely empty for the procedure to go smoothly and safely. The patient will also be instructed to be on liquid diet for 1 to 3 days before the procedure. The liquid in the diet must be clear and must not include anything that has coloring. Some of the permitted liquids are water, broth, fruit juice, plain tea, plain coffee, gelatin and diet soda.
The patient will also be given a cleansing enema the night before the procedure. This is to ensure that the bowel is thoroughly cleaned and is empty. It will also be part of the preparation to ask to bring somebody with the patient to drive him or her home since he or she will not be allowed to drive home or perform any activity that requires focus, attention and alertness.
During the procedure, the patient will be given pain medications and sedatives to lessen the discomfort he or she may experience. There will also be a nurse around to monitor the vital signs and signs of discomfort so that the medical team can make the necessary adjustments. The patient will be on a left side-lying position. Once everything is ready, the doctor then inserts the colonoscope.
The procedure takes about 30 to 60 minutes depending on what the doctor sees and decides on. The patient will feel less discomfort with the help of the sedatives given earlier. After the procedure, a sensation of cramping and the sensation of having gas will be present and this will last 1 hour at most. The patient will then be asked to stay for another hour or two in the room to let the sedative wear off.
Colonoscopy Patient Experience - Bookshelf
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