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Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer face a unique set of needs and challenges, but at the end of the day, they just want to be taken seriously and treated like adults, according to Paula Sanborn, RN, BSN, CPHON, CPN, Sarcoma Nurse Navigator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH.

Achieving universal health literacy is as simple as treating all patients as if they are at risk of not understanding health information, according to Deborah Christensen, MSN, APRN, AOCNS, HNB-BC.

Developing an evidence-based survivorship navigation program involves a fair amount of trial and error, according to JaLisa Boyd, RN, BSN, MS, and Katie Navarte, LMSW, who make up a nurse/social worker survivorship navigation team at Sarah Cannon, the Cancer Service Line for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) hospitals.

Practicing mindfulness in medicine has positive effects on both providers and the patients they care for, according to John Inzerillo, MD, Medical Director of Oncology at Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center in Washington, NC.

An array of original research was presented in poster form at the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) 7th Annual Navigation & Survivorship Conference, where more than 900 nurse and patient navigators met this year.

Dealing with emotionally charged patients and peers can be taxing for all parties involved, particularly in the oncology setting, but effective communication can alleviate stress at work and improve patient and provider satisfaction. At the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators 7th Annual Navigation & Survivorship Conference, Helen Meldrum, EdD, MEd, engaged the audience with tips and tools for dealing with emotionally charged situations at work.

Low-income populations experience substantial barriers to cancer care, and in the year 2014, the burden of cancer mortality surpassed that of heart disease in 22 US states, according to Dwana “Dee” Calhoun, MS, Director of SelfMade Health Network, a member of the CDC’s Consortium of National Networks to Impact Populations Experiencing Tobacco-Related and Cancer Health Disparities.

Balancing cancer treatment with work responsibilities can be challenging for both employees and employers. But a program piloted at Johns Hopkins called Managing Cancer at Work (MCaW) provides people in the workplace with navigation assistance, thereby decreasing patients’ time away from work while increasing employee satisfaction and empowering employers, according to Lillie D. Shockney, RN, BS, MAS.

Dr Burhansstipanov emphasized the importance of coordination between NPNs and nurse navigators. “Our navigators have worked beautifully with nurse navigators,” she said at the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators 7th Annual Navigation & Survivorship Conference.

As the costs associated with cancer care continue to escalate, all key stakeholders—healthcare providers, private and government payers, and patients—strive to balance high-quality cancer care with cost efficiency.