2132 - Validation of Spanish-Language Surveys Utilized for the Navigator-Assisted Hypofractionation Program to Aid Hispanic-American Breast Cancer Patients

A. Sánchez-Feliciano¹, L. Onyewadume², M. J. Stephens³, L. E. Flores⁴, C. Cheatham⁵, and S. McClelland III⁶; ¹Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Clevelend, OH, ²Duke University Department of Radiation Oncology, Durham, NC, ³University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, ⁴College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, ⁵University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH, ⁶Case Western Department of Radiation Oncology, Cleveland, OH

Purpose/Objective(s): Cancer accounts for 22% of all mortality and is the leading cause of death among Hispanic and/or Latinx patients in the United States. The Hispanic and Latin American population in the United States is composed of individuals whose ethnic identity is related to Spanish-speaking and/or Latin countries. The disparities in access to radiation therapy (RT), mortality rates, and treatment outcomes among Hispanic-American breast cancer patients compared to other populations, highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions. The Navigator-Assisted Hypofractionation (NAVAH) program, with its innovative patient navigation approach and culturally sensitive survey, aims to better identify the specific barriers faced by this population. This study is a report of the NAVAH program experience piloting a Spanish-language culturally sensitive survey in Hispanic-American volunteers. Materials/

Methods: Hispanic-American volunteers with fluency in Spanish were recruited to participate in survey conduction, identified from local networks. Surveys were conducted in person or by telephone. In addition to the collected survey information, the time for survey completion was recorded for each subject. Survey information was assessed by topic category and survey responses were amalgamated into a representative score for each category. Survey categories include acceptability (comfort and prejudice among interactions with the system), accessibility (transportation, distance to care, and healthcare literacy), accommodation (access to internet, navigating transportation), affordability (financial considerations, employment, and level of education), and availability (access to a medical center, coordinating care, and overall quality of care).
Results: A total of 6 volunteers meeting inclusion criteria completed the survey; 4 in person and 2 by telephone. Median survey completion time was 12 minutes 38 seconds (range=9:50-13:54). Distance from the nearest cancer center ranged from 0-10 miles in all respondents. Respondents noted satisfaction and trust in their interactions with medical providers, however, responses in the acceptability category highlighted a high perception of disparities in the medical system, including high prevalence of racial and ethnic prejudice, and high prevalence of treatment differences between high-income and low-income patients in clinical settings.
Conclusion: In the first Spanish-language survey of its kind, our findings indicate that this survey design is feasible in the Hispanic-American population. Implementation of this survey in breast cancer patients will provide more definitive and comprehensive answers regarding other categories in the survey, including financial challenges during treatment, access to accommodations, and perception of treatment during cancer care. The investigation involving patients actively receiving breast cancer RT is currently underway.