Patient Navigation: Addressing Social Challenges in Dialysis Patients

Publication date: Available online 9 September 2019Source: American Journal of Kidney DiseasesAuthor(s): Lilia Cervantes, Romana Hasnain-Wynia, John F. Steiner, Michel Chonchol, Stacy FischerMembers of racial and ethnic minority groups make up nearly 50% of US patients with end-stage kidney disease and face a disproportionate burden of socioeconomic challenges (ie, low income, job insecurity, low educational attainment, housing instability, and communication challenges) compared with non-Hispanic whites. Patients with end-stage kidney disease who face social challenges often have poor patient-centered and clinical outcomes. These challenges may have a negative impact on quality-of-care performance measures for dialysis facilities caring for primarily minority and low-income patients. One path toward improving outcomes for this group is to develop culturally tailored interventions that provide individualized support, potentially improving patient-centered, clinical, and health system outcomes by addressing social challenges. One such approach is using community-based culturally and linguistically concordant patient navigators, who can serve as a bridge between the patient and the health care system. Evidence points to the effectiveness of patient navigators in the provision of cancer care and, to a lesser extent, caring for people with chronic kidney disease and those who have undergone kidney transplantation. However, little is known about the effectiveness of patient navigat...
Source: American Journal of Kidney Diseases - Category: Urology & Nephrology Source Type: research