Anybody who’s gone by way of the most cancers journey can let you know: It’s not simply the remedy that’s onerous to undergo. When you’re attempting to handle signs and survive, you’re additionally paying payments, making appointments, and getting groceries. Coping with a job and household, on high of the medical particulars, can take an enormous emotional toll. That’s the place a most cancers nurse navigator is available in.
Most hospital methods have a nurse navigator, together with UVA Well being. The position helps most cancers sufferers set up their healthcare. However now we’re taking it a step additional. We’re rolling out a nurse navigator program that provides custom-made assist for every most cancers sort.
Cancers behave in a wide range of methods. That’s why docs deal with totally different cancers. With this enhanced program, navigators additionally deal with particular cancers. This enables them to provide personalised steering. They know the way to assist the affected person perceive their situation and what comes subsequent.
Catherine Terrell, RN, scientific and operational director with the UVA Most cancers Middle, shared with us how this new program will make a distinction in sufferers’ lives.
What’s a nurse navigator?
Nurse navigators are affected person guides. They assist sufferers perceive their prognosis, remedy choices, and potential unwanted side effects. Additionally they assist with scheduling appointments, coordinating care, and managing the challenges of most cancers. The nurse navigator actually is a connection level between the affected person and the bigger well being system.
Why is UVA Most cancers Middle increasing its nurse navigator program?
As an NCI-designated Complete Most cancers Middle, we try to cut back the burden of most cancers for sufferers throughout Virginia. A part of that features enhancing the affected person expertise from no matter method we will.
We now have a number of many years of analysis displaying the worth of navigators. The American Most cancers Society says 91% of sufferers worth having a navigator.
At UVA Well being, we’ve had a breast most cancers nurse navigator and a radiology nurse navigator for a few years. They do a implausible job. However we needed to develop that care to each most cancers sort. By having most cancers navigators who focus on every most cancers sort, we provide a extremely personalised degree of care. This units us other than most different hospitals.
Do nurse navigators have particular coaching?
Most cancers Nurse Navigators by the Numbers:
24 hours – the time from referral to contact
3 days – 1st appointment scheduled
10 enterprise days – 1st appointment occurs
How lengthy the navigator stays with you? For the entire journey, nevertheless lengthy it takes.
Sure. Our program relies on the very best practices and requirements set by the Oncology Nursing Society. This implies we be certain the navigators have the data and coaching to:
- Educate sufferers and assist them make knowledgeable decisions
- Work with docs to make the care course of clean
- Give emotional assist to sufferers and households
How does a most cancers affected person get a navigator?
Nurse navigators attain out to sufferers inside 24 hours of a referral. Inside 3 days, they’ve a extra in-depth dialog and get their first physician appointment scheduled.
Want Help Throughout Most cancers Therapy?
UVA Well being affords counseling, assist teams, vitamin, monetary assist, and extra.
What occurs throughout that first name?
The navigator gives common training on the affected person’s prognosis. Additionally they discover out key issues that might influence the affected person’s skill to get care, like:
Doing this helps us arrange a assist system for the affected person. This might embody:
The navigator’s job is to uncover and assist something that will get in the way in which of a most cancers affected person getting the remedy they want.
Do sufferers must pay for a most cancers nurse navigator?
No. Sufferers are usually not accountable for paying out of pocket for a nurse navigator.
What occurs subsequent?
We’re at the moment in section 1 of our nurse navigator mannequin. This consists of well timed entry to care and eradicating boundaries to care. We are going to develop this system in section 2 to incorporate the nurse navigator staying with every of their sufferers all through their total most cancers journey. They’ll function a single level of contact, from prognosis to survivorship or palliative care. It will give sufferers constant assist and steering.
