Design of a Case Management Approach to Enhance Cancer Screening Trial Retention Among Older African American Men

• Published in: Journal of aging and health Vol. 16; no. 5_suppl; pp. 39S - 57S
• Main Authors: Ford, Marvella E., Randolph, Vernetta, Hopkins-Johnson, Linda, Eason, Sharon L., Havstad, Suzanne, Jankowski, Michelle, Swanson, G. Marie, Johnson, Christine Cole, Vernon, Sally W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01-11-2004; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: African Americans; Aged; Aging; Cancer; Case Management; Clinical Trials as Topic; Culture; Elderly; Health technology assessment; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Males; Mass Screening; Medical screening; Men; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Patient Dropouts; Patient Selection; Research Methodology; Researcher Subject Relations; Social Support; Social Work; Telephone; case management; cancer screening; aging; African American men
• ISSN: 0898-2643; 1552-6887
• DOI: 10.1177/0898264304268148

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to enhance retention among African American men enrolled in a cancer screening trial. Design and Methods:A telephonebased, randomized trial design was used. The intervention group included 352 African American men aged 55+. Case managers contacted participants at least monthly and provided information and referral services to participants and their relatives. Results:The mean age of participants was 65.7 years. A total of 14,978 calls were made resulting in 780 referrals. The 10 most frequent referrals were for scheduling medical appointments, health information, insurance information, legal aid, transportation, cancer screening information, information technology/computer information, employment, housekeeping/chore services, and food programs. Conclusions:The case managers served as links between participants and community-based resources. The types of referrals made could be associated with the age-related needs of the participants.