Patient navigators
Program basics
- Provides culturally sensitive assistance and care coordination in order to guide patients through available medical, insurance, and social support systems
- Usually implemented by hospitals or clinics and may be fully integrated into a primary care team
- Most commonly used in cancer care, often serving low-income or disadvantaged patients
- Also known as "system navigators"
Strength of evidence
Evidence level: Proven (highest tier)
?
Proven (highest tier)
Ranked as having the highest level of evidence by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
Target population
Low- and moderate-income adults and families
Program cost
Not available
Implementation locations
- Nationwide
Dates active
1990-present
Outcomes and impact
- Increases rates of cancer screening, especially for breast cancer
- Improves adherence to breast cancer screening recommendations, diagnosis follow-up, and treatment
- Improves quality of life after cancer diagnosis
- Increases screening rates for colorectal cancer and cervical cancer, especially when implemented in conjunction with patient education
- Eliminates barriers to cancer care and can be effective for disadvantaged and minority populations, including blacks, Native Americans, Latinos, non-English speakers, and those with limited English proficiency
- Decreases disparities in screening rates by improving screening among Latinos and non-English speakers
- Eliminates disparities in diagnostic resolution delays based on employment, housing, and marital status
Keys to successful implementation
- Note: This content is under review
- Regularly update screening and patient tracking infrastructure, including advanced technology and new methods of screening
- Facilitate conversations between health care providers and patients to generate sustainable relationships and build patient confidence
- Prioritize not only initial consultation but also follow-up with patients
- Train staff on a mix of community and clinic-based topics such as communication skills, screening education and guidelines, patient counseling, cultural competency, and social support as well as study protocol and human subject training
- Employ community-compatible staff, with respect to language, culture, socioeconomic status, and gender
- Develop a more patient-centric approach by exploring multiple options to maintain contact with patients including phone calls, text messages, home visits, video calls, based on patient needs
- Partnerships with community leaders, especially in marginalized communities, can foster long-term trust and increase patient participation and can help patients feel more comfortable asking questions and sharing financial concerns