How Navigators Can Ease the Burden for Patients and Loved Ones

When it comes to justifying the need for navigation resources, building a business case is a nonnegotiable, according to Lindsey Reed, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG, director of navigation for Sarah Cannon in the HCA Midwest Division, and Nicole Centers, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN, CBCN, CN-BN, executive director of Oncology Service Line at Wellstar Healthcare System in Marietta, GA.

Although cancer diagnoses and deaths have been declining in the United States, COVID-19 has impacted cancer screening rates, and the concern is this will lead to increases in late-stage diagnoses and increases in cancer mortality.

Navigation programs continue to flourish in the oncology setting and expand into the chronic disease space. As navigation continues to grow and evolve, the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) is committed to providing professional development opportunities.