Journal of general internal medicine
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To systematically review the literature to determine which interventions improve the screening, diagnosis or treatment of cervical cancer for racial and/or ethnic minorities. ⋯ Patient navigation with telephone support or education may be effective at improving screening, diagnosis, and treatment among racial and ethnic minorities. Research is needed to determine the applicability of the findings beyond the populations studied.
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To systematically review the literature to determine which interventions improve the screening, diagnosis or treatment of cervical cancer for racial and/or ethnic minorities. ⋯ Patient navigation with telephone support or education may be effective at improving screening, diagnosis, and treatment among racial and ethnic minorities. Research is needed to determine the applicability of the findings beyond the populations studied.
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Over the past decade, researchers have shifted their focus from documenting health care disparities to identifying solutions to close the gap in care. Finding Answers: Disparities Research for Change, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is charged with identifying promising interventions to reduce disparities. Based on our work conducting systematic reviews of the literature, evaluating promising practices, and providing technical assistance to health care organizations, we present a roadmap for reducing racial and ethnic disparities in care. ⋯ Health education that uses interactive techniques to deliver skills training appears to be more effective than traditional didactic approaches. Furthermore, patient navigation and engaging family and community members in the health care process may improve outcomes for minority patients. We anticipate that the roadmap and best practices will be useful for organizations, policymakers, and researchers striving to provide high-quality equitable care.
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To systematically review the literature to identify interventions that improve minority health related to colorectal cancer care. ⋯ Tailored patient education combined with patient navigation services, and physician training in communicating with patients of low health literacy, can modestly improve adherence to CRC screening. The onus is now on researchers to continue to evaluate and refine these interventions and begin to expand them to the entire colon cancer care continuum.
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To systematically review the literature to identify interventions that improve minority health related to colorectal cancer care. ⋯ Tailored patient education combined with patient navigation services, and physician training in communicating with patients of low health literacy, can modestly improve adherence to CRC screening. The onus is now on researchers to continue to evaluate and refine these interventions and begin to expand them to the entire colon cancer care continuum.