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Abstract
Less than 50% of adults aged 65 and older complete annual recommended preventive care. Preventive care is important since a major risk factor for cancer is aging. Colon cancer occurs in more than 70% of people aged 65 and older. The most common cancer among U.S. women, breast cancer is mostly diagnosed in women aged 55 and older. Both are the second most common causes of death in men and women respectively. The purpose of this study was to examine completion rates of breast and/or colon cancer screenings among Medicare beneficiaries 66 to 75 years of age who complete two different office visits. The study included 20 participants (14 were in the nurse-only visit group and 6 were in the CHA visit group). The intervention participants received a 75-minute CHA with the nurse and the provider and received a preventive plan of care with referrals for a mammogram, colonoscopy or Cologuard. Patients in the comparison group were scheduled for a 60-minute nurse-only visit and received a preventive plan of care and no further follow-up. Twenty individuals participated: 6 in the CHA group and 14 in the nurse-only group. The average age was 70.75 years old. The age range was 66 to 75. (SD = 2.83). In the CHA group, 3 did breast cancer screening (1 did not, 2 were ineligible). In the nurse group, 8 did breast cancer screening (2 did not, 4 were ineligible). The difference was not statistically significant, χ2 (2) = 0.09, p = .958. In the CHA group, 1 did colon cancer screening (2 did not, 3 were ineligible). In the nurse group, 2 did colon cancer screening (6 did not, 6 were ineligible). The difference was not statistically significant, χ2 (2) = 0.16, p = .923.