TY - JOUR
T1 - Cancer patient navigator tasks across the cancer care continuum
AU - Braun, Kathryn L.
AU - Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie
AU - Holden, Alan E.C.
AU - Burhansstipanov, Linda
AU - Tran, Jacqueline H.
AU - Seals, Brenda F.
AU - Corbie-Smith, Giselle
AU - Tsark, Joann U.
AU - Harjo, Lisa
AU - Foo, Mary Anne
AU - Ramirez, Amelie G.
PY - 2012/2
Y1 - 2012/2
N2 - Cancer patient navigation (PN) programs have been shown to increase access to and utilization of cancer care for poor and underserved individuals. Despite mounting evidence of its value, cancer patient navigation is not universally understood or provided. We describe five PN programs and the range of tasks their navigators provide across the cancer care continuum (education and outreach, screening, diagnosis and staging, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life). Tasks are organized by their potential to make cancer services understandable, available, accessible, affordable, appropriate, and accountable. Although navigators perform similar tasks across the five programs, their specific approaches reflect differences in community culture, context, program setting, and funding. Task lists can inform the development of programs, job descriptions, training, and evaluation. They also may be useful in the move to certify navigators and establish mechanisms for reimbursement for navigation services.
AB - Cancer patient navigation (PN) programs have been shown to increase access to and utilization of cancer care for poor and underserved individuals. Despite mounting evidence of its value, cancer patient navigation is not universally understood or provided. We describe five PN programs and the range of tasks their navigators provide across the cancer care continuum (education and outreach, screening, diagnosis and staging, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life). Tasks are organized by their potential to make cancer services understandable, available, accessible, affordable, appropriate, and accountable. Although navigators perform similar tasks across the five programs, their specific approaches reflect differences in community culture, context, program setting, and funding. Task lists can inform the development of programs, job descriptions, training, and evaluation. They also may be useful in the move to certify navigators and establish mechanisms for reimbursement for navigation services.
KW - Access to health care
KW - Case management
KW - Certification
KW - Health care disparities
KW - Indigenous populations
KW - Minority health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84860442759&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84860442759&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1353/hpu.2012.0029
DO - 10.1353/hpu.2012.0029
M3 - Article
C2 - 22423178
AN - SCOPUS:84860442759
VL - 23
SP - 398
EP - 413
JO - Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
JF - Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
SN - 1049-2089
IS - 1
ER -