An Overview of Patient Navigation, Its History, and Core Competencies

April 2016 Vol 7, No 3
Angela Patterson, HON-OPN-CG
Vice President, Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education
Mandi Pratt-Chapman, MA, PhD, HON-OPN-CG
Associate Center Director,
Patient-Centered Initiatives & Health Equity,
GW Cancer Center
Washington, DC

Patient navigation addresses barriers and facilitates timely access to quality standard care by providing individualized assistance to patients, survivors, and families. Harold P. Freeman, MD, first coined the term “patient navigation” in the 1990s in Harlem, NY, when he found that his black patients often presented with more advanced stages of disease and had poorer health outcomes and higher mortality than his white patients. He then decided to provide free or reduced-cost screenings, coupled with one-on-one navigation services. The result was an increase in 5-year survival from 39% to 70% in patients with breast cancer—94% of whom were black—treated at Harlem Hospital Center, New York, and a drop in late-stage diagnosis from 50% to 20% for his African American patients.1

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”2 Health is affected by social determinants, which, according to the Healthy People 2020 approach, include economic stability, education, neighborhood and built environment, social and community context, and health and healthcare.3

For example, healthcare disparities may result from low income, unequal access to medical care, not prioritizing healthcare, lack of transportation, not having access to screenings during nonwork hours, or cultural barriers (eg, stigma of cancer). Navigators come from a variety of nonclinical and clinical backgrounds, and, through partnerships with patients, troubleshoot barriers to care to help patients obtain access to cancer care.

Recently, consensus-based core competencies were developed for oncology patient navigators to clarify the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of patient navigators.4 The competency domains are aligned with competency categories for other healthcare professionals and are comprised of patient care, knowledge for practice, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, and personal and professional development.4,5

Case Study

Rosie is a young mother of 4 who lives in the city. Her youngest child is still breast-feeding when Rosie finds a lump in her breast. Rosie decides to ignore the lump, because she is worried about telling her family that she might be sick. She is the primary breadwinner and caregiver for her family, and she does not want to worry them. At the grocery store, Rosie notices a flyer for a free mammography day, and decides to call the number on the flyer. A patient navigator answers Rosie’s call and inquires about the lump she has found; the navigator explains the need for a mammogram. Rosie tells the patient navigator that she cannot take time off from work to get screened; however, the navigator convinces her to come into the clinic for a screening during new weekend hours. Rosie is diagnosed with stage II breast cancer, and is told that she needs surgery and chemotherapy, and must stop breast-feeding. She is worried about the cost of formula if she stops breast-feeding.

Check Your Knowledge

1. Which of the following is a primary barrier to care for Rosie?

a. Housing stability

b. Social cohesion

c. Education level

d. Financial concerns

2. Which of the following overarching competency domains are relevant to the navigator understanding that she must try to convince Rosie to get her diagnostic mammogram?

a. Knowledge for practice, and interpersonal and communication skills

b. Systems-based practice, and personal and professional development

c. Practice-based learning and improvement, and professionalism

d. Patient care, and personal and professional development

3. Why was the first patient navigation program developed in Harlem, NY?

a. To provide cancer support services to a wide variety of patients

b. To increase adherence to pharmacotherapy for patients with human immunodeficiency virus

c. To reduce the stage of disease and mortality of black patients

d. To address concerns of patients about receiving unequal cancer care

4. What is the primary purpose of patient navigation?

a. To remove healthcare bias

b. To reduce barriers to quality care

c. To facilitate group social support

d. To find copay assistance for patients

5. True or False: Patient navigators are always volunteers.

Answers

1, D; 2, A; 3, C; 4, B; 5, False.

References

  1. Freeman HP, Rodriguez RL. History and principles of patient navigation. Cancer. 2011;117(Suppl 15):3539-3542.
  2. World Health Organization. WHO definition of health. www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html. Accessed March 8, 2016.
  3. US Department of Health & Human Services. Social determinants of health. www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health. Accessed March 8, 2016.
  4. Pratt-Chapman M, Willis A, Masselink L. Core competencies for oncology patient navigators. Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship. 2015;6:16-21.
  5. Englander R, Cameron T, Ballard AJ, et al. Toward a common taxonomy of competency domains for the health professions and competencies for physicians. Acad Med. 2013;88:1088-1094.
Related Articles
Designing and Implementing a Navigation Program Database
May 2023 Vol 14, No 5
Navigators at the Miami Cancer Institute (MCI) have built a successful navigation program database to track patient care delivery and report metrics, according to Morgan Nestingen, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, NEA-BC, OCN, ONN-CG, director of Nursing, Patient Intake and Navigation Services at MCI.
The Changing Landscape of Oncology Navigation: How Far We’ve Come
August 2022 Vol 13, No 8
According to Ms Gentry, who spoke at the 2022 AONN+ Midyear Conference in Austin, TX, the navigation profession indeed kept up with the changing healthcare environment, leading to the development of navigation core competencies, as well as the only nationally recognized certifications for Oncology Nurse Navigator–Certified Generalist (ONN-CG) and Oncology Patient Navigator–Certified Generalist (OPN-CG).
New to Navigation? Quick Tips on Starting Out
August 2022 Vol 13, No 8
Being new to oncology navigation can undoubtedly be intimidating and overwhelming, but perhaps most important, many rookie navigators simply don’t know where to start, according to Deidra Hamilton, MSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG, a nurse navigator (and cancer survivor) based in Las Vegas, NV.
Last modified: August 10, 2023

Subscribe Today!

To sign up for our print publication or e-newsletter, please enter your contact information below.

I'd like to receive:

  • First Name *
    Last Name *
     
     
    Profession or Role
    Primary Specialty or Disease State
    Country