Utilizing Social Contacts to Facilitate Mammogram Screening Among African American Women

Eliminating racial disparities in breast cancer is a top public health priority. African American (AA) women often present with more advanced and aggressive disease at the time of diagnosis and are more likely to die from breast cancer than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States. Mammogram screening significantly reduces breast cancer mortality by diagnosing cancer at an earlier stage where treatments are more effective. While some AA women do not schedule screening mammograms as recommended by current guidelines, others do not show up for their exams after scheduling them (no-shows). No-shows to cancer screening appointments impose an enormous strain on our limited healthcare resources with negative impact on other patients who could have secured earlier appointments, loss of revenue for hospitals or clinics serving underserved populations and delays in diagnoses and treatment for those who do not have screening. The investigators identified a high no-show rate for screening mammograms at our hospital. AA women were almost three times more likely to no-show for their mammograms compared to White women. Patient's social networks plan an important role in health promotion. In this study, we will pilot an intervention involving patient's social contacts (family, friends, neighbors, etc.) as healthcare facilitators to improve appointment attendance. The investigators seek to determine whether this intervention is feasible and acceptable to patients and whether this intervention will improve attendance rates for screening mammograms among AA women at our institution. If effective, the use of a patient's social contact person as a healthcare facilitator (similar to a patient navigator) would be a readily available and inexpensive resource for other institutions to implement.