Navigation

One of the top questions posed to members of the leadership team at the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) is: “What is the caseload that oncology navigators should be carrying?” According to Danelle Johnston, MSN, RN, HON-ONN-CG, OCN, when the leadership team ultimately realized they did not have a good answer to that question, they identified the need for a navigation acuity tool.

Meet Dolores and Zhonnet. Between them, they have over 30 years of expertise working as patient navigators for underserved female cancer survivors in an urban setting. This is their story.

Patient satisfaction. Provider satisfaction. Treatment adherence. Care coordination. Learn about these other positive results of a successful nonclinical navigator.

Payers and hospital systems can benefit tremendously through enhanced patient experience, clinical outcomes, and return on investment that navigation programs provide.

In the United States, navigation is now an established part of the healthcare system. But in other countries it is still a brand-new concept, according to Nancy Peña, OPN-CG, Founder and Director of Navegación de Pacientes Internacional (NPI) in Guatemala and oncology navigator at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center.

“Where a woman lives should not determine whether she lives.”

Understanding your role (and setting boundaries) allows you to remain focused on the tenets of oncology navigation—providing compassionate patient-centered care.

This highly anticipated navigation acuity tool will aid navigators in identifying levels of patient acuity based on the barriers to care, weights of the barriers, and level of patient distress.

The authors present results from a scoping review as evidence that will aid in the development of an oncology patient navigation–specific acuity tool.