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Effective transition to primary care is achieved through information sharing, which means that all young adult survivors should receive copies of their cancer-related medical records, a treatment summary, and a survivorship care plan.

Amy Velasquez, RN, BSN, OCN, talks about palliative care in an outpatient setting, financial implications, and the impact on a patient’s quality of life. “Our role is to walk with [patients] and not be afraid to talk about what palliative care is.”

Jean Sellers, RN, MSN, discusses her team’s use of lay navigators who are trained to be mindful of the cultural barriers to care that exist in their patient population. “I use an iceberg to reflect the metaphor for culture, what we see is so small compared to the heart and soul of what the person is made up of.”

In 1990, Harold P. Freeman, MD, noticed that African American women in the Harlem community had a higher incidence of breast cancer mortality.

In this community outreach example, the daunting challenges of treatment, and the impact on quality of life, drive the questions, “How can we better serve these patients?” and “Is there anything we can do to prevent or detect head and neck cancers earlier?”

The authors present a case demonstrating the critical role of nurse navigators in community outreach and ultimately early detection and education for patients.

Since CML is a chronic disorder that requires lifelong therapy, it is very important for oncology nurse navigators (ONNs) to familiarize themselves with the pathophysiology of the disease and effective management strategies.

Effective navigation strategies may result in lower stress levels for patients who transition between settings of care, a lower incidence of disease- and treatment-related adverse events, and better adherence rates to therapy, all of which can lead to improved overall outcomes.

Given the rarity and acuteness of the disease, it is very important for oncology nurse navigators to be familiar with APL.

As new trends emerge in the management of patients with cancer, an increasingly complex care delivery system continues to evolve. It is important to realize that the number of treatment options available to patients may be overwhelming to them.