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CANCERLESS: Cancer prevention and early detection among the homeless population in Europe: Co-adapting and implementing the Health Navigator Model

Austria, Greece, Spain, United Kingdom

Homeless people across Europe are an underserved, marginalised population at high risk of poor health-related outcomes including excess mortality. Of grave note is that the homeless population has an average life expectancy of just 47 years.

Project contact

Background

To add to this distressing situation, cancer mortality among the homeless population in high income countries is twice as high compared to the general population, and nearly one in three deaths of people experiencing homelessness are due to causes that can be overcome by timely and effective healthcare. There is a crucial need for appropriate interventions to advance healthcare access for those who are currently homeless.

Aims

Through the Health Navigator Model, the CANCERLESS project aims to harness the transformative potential of the integrated care pathways in cancer as well as provide health and social care policy recommendations for the adoption and implementation of the Health Navigator Model across Europe.

Project plan

A growing body of literature has highlighted the value of person-centred interventions as a way to improve timely access to healthcare among underserved and marginalised populations. ‘CANCERLESS: Cancer prevention and early detection among the homeless population in Europe: Co-adapting and implementing the Health Navigator Model’, is an EU Horizon 2020 financed project that aims to deliver innovative solutions to this.

The Health Navigator Model will be an evidence-based, patient-centred intervention striving to develop patient empowerment through health education and social support. Through providing tailored and committed care via the Health Navigator, timely access to primary and secondary prevention services will be achieved.

Timely and evidence-based preventive strategies including optimising health care pathways provide a decisive solution to the high cancer mortality and could improve overall health outcomes in this underserved population. Through the Health Navigator Model, the CANCERLESS project aims to harness the transformative potential of the integrated care pathways in cancer as well as provide health and social care policy recommendations for the adoption and implementation of the Health Navigator Model across Europe.

CANCERLESS includes partner organisations with long-standing experience in working in the field of health and social care for the homeless.

Publications and output

You may visit the project website for more information.

Principal investigators

  • Igor Grabovac Medizinische Universität Wien, Austria

Funding organisations

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