Impact of Patient Navigators on Health Education and Quality of Life in Formerly Incarcerated Patients

This is a 3-year prospective randomized comparative trial that will examine the impact of an intervention that incorporates peer navigators to improve health education (heiQ), health related quality of life (HRQOL-14), healthcare utilization, and medical outcomes compared to usual care among formerly incarcerated individuals as they transition from the correctional system into the community over the course of 18 months. Multiple studies have shown the efficacy of patient navigators in improving healthcare utilization and outcomes in marginalized populations, but neither intervention has been studied with the formerly incarcerated population. A total of 300 formerly incarcerated individuals will be enrolled into the trial. This intervention is inherently patient-centered, as it facilitates a process by which patients continuously define and shape their engagement with the health care system. The potential impact of the study findings include: 1) evidence for or against the use of patient navigators to enhance linkage and engagement into care; 2) health outcomes that either support or discourage the use of patient navigators with formerly incarcerated people; 3) expansion of knowledge to inform the development of targeted interventions for this vulnerable population; and 4) dissemination of results that may contribute to larger scale studies that can be implemented widely with the aim at eliminating health disparities in a highly marginalized group of people. The investigators specific aim is to conduct a randomized comparative trial that will provide the evidence base to address two primary research questions:

1. How does the use of patient navigators impact health education and health related quality of life of individuals as they transition from the correctional system into the community?
2. How does a patient navigator for formerly incarcerated patients improve metrics of health care utilization (adherence to medical appointments, fewer visits to emergency rooms) and health outcomes (glycemic index, blood pressure control, and/or virological suppression in HIV-infected) compared to usual care of automated appointment reminder phone calls?