The early dissemination of patient navigation interventions: results of a respondent-driven sample survey

Patient navigators (PNs) coordinate medical services and connect patients with resources to improve outcomes, satisfaction, and reduce costs. Little national information is available to inform workforce development. We analyzed 819 responses from an online PN survey conducted in 2009-2010. Study variables were mapped to the five Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) constructs to explore program variations by type of PN. Five logistic regression models compared each PN type to all others while adjusting for covariates. Thirty-five percent of respondents were nurse navigators, 28% lay navigators, 20% social work (SW)/counselor navigators, 7% allied health navigators, and 10% were "other" types of PNs. Most were non-Hispanic White (71%), female (94%), and at least college educated (70%). The primary differences were observed among: the core intervention tasks; position structure; work setting; health conditions navigated; navigator race/ethnicity; personal cancer experiences; navigation training; and patient populations served. Lay PNs had fewer odds of identifying as Hispanic, work in rural settings and assist underserved populations compared to others. Nurse navigators showed greater odds of clinical responsibilities, work in hospital or government settings and fewer odds of navigating minority populations compared to others. SW/counselor navigators also had additional duties, provided greater assistance to Medicare patient populations, and less odds of navigating underserved populations than others. In summary, our survey indicates that the type of PN utilized is an indicator of other substantial differences in program implementation. CFIR provides a robust method to compare differences and should incorporate care coordination outcomes in future PN research.