A Tool to Improve Evaluation of Patient Navigation Services in Underserved Populations

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Native American Cancer Initiatives, Inc. (NACI) is a woman-owned, minority (American Indian) business with fewer than three full-time-equivalent employees. This for-profit company, founded in 1998, has the mission to provide technical assistance and products on Native Americans, cultural issues, evaluation, program development and assessment and cancer care across the continuum (outreach through end-of-life care) to communities, patients, healthcare providers, researchers, academicians, universities, research institutions, and other professionals. The goal for this Phase II SBIR is to expand and enhance the current Phase I patient navigation evaluation app to develop, implement and evaluate an easy-to-use, fully functioning app that addresses the full cancer continuum, can be tailored to meet the needs of an individual patient navigation program and is available for multiple operating and Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. There will be two versions of the app: one for iOS (iPad) and the other for Android (Samsung, Lenovo, LG and Nexus). During Phase III the app will be expanded for Windows operating systems. Aim 1. Develop an expanded app that incorporates all phases of the cancer continuum (outreach through end-of-life) in iOS programming and can be tailored for an individual navigation program. Aim 1 Outcomes: Functional tablet app for the full cancer continuum that documents PN Actions (component 1) and can generate tailored reports to evaluate individual and groups of PNs (component 2) and evaluate patient navigation programs (component 3). Aim 2. Develop, implement and evaluate (a) an app tutorial (hard copy and video), (b) app user guide, and (c) a website and phone support protocol and program. Aim 2 Outcomes: a 4-5-minute YouTube and hard copy, app tutorial, a comprehensive app user guide, a support webpage with information to address common problems, and a telephone helpline. Aim 3. Modify the iOS app for use with Android tablets and integrate both apps with at least one EHR system. Aim 3 Outcomes: app available on Android tablets, a protocol for interfacing app data with one EHR system (e.g., Epic) and the interface of the functional app data with the EHR. The impact of these outcomes will be a tool that facilitates PN and navigation program compliance with standardized metrics and Commission on Cancer requirements for patient navigation. The fully functional app will address the entire cancer continuum but can be tailored to an individual navigation program (e.g., one or more phases of the continuum (e.g., prevention or end-of-life) or types of cancer (breast or lung). It will be available for tablets using iOS (iPad) and Android operating systems. At completion of Phase II, the apps will be ready to be promoted via the designated commercialization plan. Patient navigation programs need comprehensive evaluation protocols and tools that can assess both PN and program quality and effectiveness. Based on extensive literature and Internet review, currently almost none are easy-to-use, efficient and functional on tablets and none are as comprehensive as the apps proposed for this Phase II SBIR.