Patient navigation

Abstract

The growing interest in patient navigation has caused a growth in published health literature that expounds on its definition and those who serve as patient navigators. Patient navigation provides a variety of services for cancer patients who may be culturally differential, uninsured, and impoverished. The role and responsibilities of the patient navigator vary, but the overall focus is on identifying and assisting with barriers that cancer patients are confronted with to cancer education and treatment. Patient navigators are also identified by the following titles: Case managers. Comadres. Community health aids. Community health workers. Lay health workers. Nurses. Promotoras. Social workers. The titles above indicate that patient navigators are often members of the community that they serve and that some cancer treatment programs may employ navigators who are ethnically concordant to the target population. It is also important to note that patient navigators are more flexible in problem solving to help a patient overcome barriers to care as opposed to the provision of a predefined set of services.