A User-Centered Need Analysis of Cancer Patient Navigation — An Intersection of Collaborative Work and Collaborative Health IT

Abstract

Cancer care is becoming more complex each year, making the patient’s path to, and through the care continuum confusing and daunting. Patient-navigation programs for cancer patients have grown in recent years, but their navigation support is fragmented in many ways and often incomplete, lessening their effectiveness. Digital tools to support the cancer patient navigator can make them more effective and allow more patients to receive navigation support. A multifaceted analysis of the needs for such tools is presented. The analysis methods include literature review, domain analysis, and qualitative interviews with a sample of ten cancer patient navigators.