A new navigation aid tool: Instagram as a facilitator of breast health education

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of navigation is, therefore, to appropriately direct patients who will need continued care within
the health system. In the context of breast cancer patients, this appears to be promising and necessary so that they do
not lose follow-up but also maintain continuity in the provision of medical care postponed due to system failures. The key
point of navigation is to look for which mechanisms contribute to delays in care, identifying and addressing barriers in the
path of care and treatment. Methodology: This was an observational, prospective, experimental study with the objective
of evaluating Instagram as a facilitating tool for the navigation of patients who were monitored at the mastology outpatient clinic of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Recife hospital, Hospital Barão de Lucena, and the Pernambuco Military
Police Hospital (HPMPE). Finally, it is worth mentioning that the project was submitted to the Brasil platform under the
number (CAAE 74006323.0.0000.5205). Results: A total of 105 screening patients were identified as potentially eligible
during medical care at the mastology outpatient clinic at the (HBL), the HPMPE, and the Santa Casa de Misericórdia do.
Among these, nine patients captured at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia were excluded since, even during the data collection period, that hospital was no longer part of this research due to loss of ties with the researchers. In the HPMPE, a total
of 21 patients were eligible, 6 of whom were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria, considering that it
was not possible to contact them to apply for the post-test. In the HBL, a total of 76 patients were eligible, 13 of whom were
excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria: four patients refused to take the post-test, and nine patients
were lost to follow-up, as it was not possible to establish contact. Conclusion: Through this study, we concluded that the
Instagram platform is a useful tool for navigating breast cancer patients, which is capable of significantly reducing barriers.