When people get a diagnosis of cancer, they’re in a fragile state. Often there’s a new vocabulary and a lot of medical information for them to digest. A patient navigator can guide individuals with suspected or newly diagnosed cancer around the healthcare system. They can help with problems like:
- How to paying for healthcare; understanding insurance benefits
- Language and cultural barriers
- Lack of understanding one's disease
- Communication with doctors
- Transportation
- Fear
Patient navigation is:
- Confidential
- Respectful
- Compassionate
- Mindful of the patient's safety
Navigation services and programs may be provided by professional or lay people working in a medical, organizational, advocacy, or community settings. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) called it "an important part of cancer care."
Dr Harold P. Freeman established the nation's first patient navigation program in 1990 at Harlem Hospital Center. The pilot program helped improve access to cancer screening and address delays in clinical follow-up.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advocates for the development of patient navigation programs to provide the best care for cancer survivors. The CDC believes patient navigation is a tool that can be used to ensure that survivors fully understand their screening, treatment and prognosis.
Keeping patients on track with the next steps in their treatment plan is crucial, and may be particularly difficult for very sick people or those who lack experience with the medical system.
More information on cancer patient navigators is available at cancer.net, the patient site maintained by ASCO.
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