Analysis of Urban Indian Organizations' Promotion of Cancer Services.

The burden of cancer remains elevated for American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in the United States, particularly urban communities. Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) are part of the Indian health care system for urban AI/AN populations to receive culturally competent care; therefore, it is important that UIOs convey the importance of cancer preventive and treatment options through their websites. The purpose of this study was to utilize the Indian Health Service (IHS) Office of Urban Indian Health Programs' official website to identify, analyze, and describe IHS funded UIOs offering cancer-related services. We utilized qualitative content analysis on UIOs with primary care service capabilities. After determination of UIOs, each eligible website was reviewed to determine if promotion of specific cancer related services was being done based on the following categories: primary prevention, cancer screening, cancer support, and information/technology services that focus on the social determinants of health. There is limited, vague, or outdated information on UIO websites regarding the type of cancer-related services and programs provided. We found that while twenty-one of thirty-four UIOs list any mention of cancer screenings, few mentioned specific testing capabilities for various cancers. In addition, the listing of support and preventative services was also limited with less than half of UIOs reporting on patient navigation services, among others. There is untapped potential in the utilization of websites for extending the impact of UIOs and their work with urban AI/AN populations in prevention, screening, and support of cancer patients in a culturally appropriate manner that can improve outcomes.