Navigation

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.

Compared with other healthcare professions, patient navigation is still a relatively new discipline. Thus, significant confusion remains regarding the role, scope of practice, and ideal training and credentials for patient navigators. The George Washington University Cancer Institute has developed Core Competencies for Oncology Patient Navigators and recently released a competency-based online training program that is freely available to patient navigators.

Patients in rural settings often experience geographic and financial barriers in their transition to oncology survivorship care. Using telemedicine can improve patients’ access to care and their outcomes, and survivorship clinics should be specifically evaluated for rural populations.

This study evaluated the impact of the 3-year NCCCP pilot program.

The role of the nurse navigator in helping patients through the trajectory of their journey from diagnosis to treatment to survivorship has evolved, and in many settings, the nurse navigator has become a key component of a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care.

At the 2015 Oncology Nursing Society meeting, Harold P. Freeman, MD, (pictured), Founder and President of Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute, described the establishment of the first patient navigation institute for patients with cancer in the United States.

“ONS recognized that navigation services can be delegated to trained nonprofessionals and/or volunteers, and should be supervised by nurses and social workers. Ongoing training will be needed for these volunteers. They need to learn how to talk to people with cancer,” said Jean Sellers, RN, MSN, Administrative Clinical Director, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, at the 2015 Oncology Nursing Society meeting.

Standardizing oncology patient navigator role clarification can help nurses and social workers operate at the top of their license while protecting patient navigators and institutions from liability issues.

Nurses serving in the role of navigator can be instrumental in addressing the barriers of timely access to care, implementing interventions to reduce disparities, and improving overall patient satisfaction with cancer treatment. Using 10 primary studies published between 2008 and 2014, this literature review examines the effect of navigator intervention on the continuity of care and on patient satisfaction for those with cancer. The evidence provided by the quantitative and qualitative research studies utilizing a variety of tools supports the positive effect of navigator intervention on continuity of care and the satisfaction of patients during their cancer experience.

Patient navigation has become essential for the care of the oncology patient in a complex healthcare environment; however, the term “navigation” has been used loosely to describe several functions of the role of a patient liaison, social worker, or registered nurse. A navigation program was created recently for patients who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer.