Coombs awarded AcademyHealth grant for collaborative research on pre-hospital diagnostic delay
December 12, 2023
In a collaborative effort between the UNC School of Nursing and the Gillings School of Public Health, Lorinda Coombs, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC, AOCNP, and Caroline A. Thompson, PhD, MPH, have been granted a one-year AcademyHealth research grant.
The funded project, titled “Characterizing Delays in Cancer Diagnosis for Underserved Populations in North Carolina,” focuses on identifying specific barriers within communities most affected by delayed cancer diagnoses. The study utilizes a mixed-methods approach to comprehensively analyze the factors contributing to pre-hospital diagnostic delays in rural and impoverished settings, prevalent in North Carolina.
The research initiative leverages the Cancer Information and Populations Health Resources data linkages with the North Carolina Cancer Registry, combining the expertise of Dr. Coombs from the School of Nursing and Dr. Thompson from the Gillings School of Public Health.
“This funding is an opportunity to explore the barriers that exist for early detection and treatment of underinsured and uninsured North Carolinians,” remarked Dr. Coombs, highlighting the significance of addressing healthcare disparities in vulnerable populations.
The specific goal of this mixed-method approach is to identify the specific barriers within communities most impacted by the delayed cancer diagnosis, and to communicate the findings, including user friendly, appropriately anonymized, geographic visualizations to both the local communities as well as to the larger research and policy network.
The potential impact of findings includes an improved understanding of pre-hospital delays for cancer diagnosis in rural and impoverished settings. Tailoring a better understanding of the burden of cancer delay and the patient with cancer’s experience will pave the way to a strategic intervention to improve these delays.
This research initiative is particularly significant for North Carolina, a rural-majority state with limited existing knowledge about the impact of delayed cancer diagnoses on its population. The grant provides a crucial opportunity to address this knowledge gap and contribute to the advancement of healthcare practices in underserved communities.
