Qualitative evaluation of a new tobacco cessation training curriculum for patient navigators

Treatments for tobacco dependence exist but are underutilized, particularly among low-income and minority smokers. Patient navigation has been shown to help patients overcome barriers to quality care. In preparation for testing the feasibility of integrating tobacco cessation patient navigation into primary care, this paper describes the development and qualitative evaluation of a new curriculum for training patient navigators to address cessation treatment barriers faced by low-income, minority smokers who are advised to quit by their physicians. Thematic text analysis of transcripts obtained from focus groups with experienced patient navigators (n = 19) was conducted. Participants endorsed patient navigation as a relevant strategy for addressing tobacco cessation treatment barriers and made several recommendations regarding the knowledge, core competencies, and skills needed to conduct tobacco cessation patient navigation. This curriculum could be used by existing patient navigation training centers or made available as a self-guided continuing education program for experienced navigators who wish to expand their navigation interventions to include a tobacco cessation focus.