Abstract P1-15-03: Pilot training program of nurse navigators increases survivorship knowledge and support for young women diagnosed with breast cancer
Authors: Hanson Arin Ahlum , Ranallo Lori , Carera Karen Werner , Smither Betsy , Reynolds Jennifer , Ormerod Catherine 
Published: March 2020

Background: Women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 45 face unique survivorship challenges including early menopause, late effects of treatment, psychosocial distress, and sex and intimacy changes. Few cancer centers offer patient education programs that address these survivorship topics for young women, and some healthcare providers report feeling unprepared to address these patient needs. To address this gap in patient programming, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a national non-profit, developed the Survivorship Series for Young Women Affected By Breast Cancer and a curriculum to train nurse navigators to implement this four-part patient education program in their cancer centers.

Objectives: Through this pilot program, LBBC first sought to increase the Program Leaders’ knowledge of the survivorship topics covered in the curriculum and their confidence to implement the program. Second, LBBC sought to increase the program participants’ knowledge of survivorship topics and confidence to make behavioral changes to increase their quality of life after breast cancer.

Methods: To develop this pilot program, LBBC identified four survivorship topics and developed four corresponding sessions. LBBC staff collaborated with a nurse practitioner with expertise in breast cancer survivorship to develop the sessions. 11 selected nurse navigators agreed to be Program Leaders (PL), participate in an in-person training, implement the sessions at their cancer centers, and contribute to evaluation efforts. During the PL training, each survivorship topic was reviewed in-depth to increase the PL’s knowledge of the issue and management strategies. The PLs were trained on how to market and implement the series with their patients. Independent evaluators developed and implemented an evaluation plan. The PLs completed a pre and post training assessment. After each session held, the PLs completed session reports, summarizing the outcomes of the session. PLs provided evaluation forms to each participant after each session. Evaluators conducted one-hour interviews over the phone with all 11 PLs and interviewed 18 program participants from 9 of the 11 cancer centers. The evaluators analyzed numerical data and closed-ended responses using frequency distributions and the calculation of summary statistics. They used categorical content analysis as the primary strategy to summarize open-ended form responses and interview data.

Results: The training evaluation showed that PLs increased their knowledge in all domains. Total participant attendance for each of the 4 sessions ranged from 68 to 111; individual group sizes across the 11 programs ranged from 1 to 21 participants. Most participants reported knowledge gain for all session topics. In addition, participants reported behavior changes or intentions of changing their behaviors. Through the program, participants made connections with other women and some reported connecting with participants outside of the sessions. Participants preferred a PL with strong facilitation skills that could guide group discussions, while providing credible information about the topics. Recommendations for improving the program included ways to strengthen the PLs facilitation skills. Most program participants knew little about LBBC prior to the series and by the end reported various levels of knowledge of LBBC programming.

Conclusion: The pilot evaluation showed that the Survivorship Series successfully increased knowledge of survivorship topics for both PLs and program participants. Participants reported behavior changes and increased peer connections with other young women. The program engaged over 200 people and provided them with a supportive educational program tailored to the unique survivorship needs of young women affected by breast cancer.

Citation Format: Arin Ahlum Hanson, Lori Ranallo, Karen Werner Carera, Betsy Smither, Jennifer Reynolds, Catherine Ormerod. Pilot training program of nurse navigators increases survivorship knowledge and support for young women diagnosed with breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-15-03.