Quantification of Postdiagnosis Cancer Patient Navigation

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Healthcare Management
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Patient navigation is crucial for optimal cancer care outcomes.
• Existing literature confirms patient navigation benefits, but objective data on key metrics is limited.
• Understanding navigation metrics like patient contacts and time spent is essential for improving cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review published literature on cancer patient navigation metrics.
• To analyze data on navigator-patient contacts, time spent, barriers addressed, and outcomes.
• To compare findings with the Navigator-Assisted Hypofractionation (NAVAH) trial.

Main Methods:

• A systematic PubMed search was conducted in April 2025.
• Keywords included 'patient navigation' and 'navigator in postdiagnosis cancer care-contact metrics'.
• Analyzed median contacts, time per patient, common barriers, and improved outcomes, comparing with NAVAH trial data.

Main Results:

• Seven peer-reviewed studies met inclusion criteria.
• Patient-navigator contacts ranged from 1 to 119 (average 13.4), with NAVAH averaging 2 contacts/month.
• Median time per patient varied widely (40 minutes to >10 hours), compared to NAVAH's 20 minutes/encounter. Financial assistance was a common barrier, consistent with NAVAH.

Conclusions:

• Published data on cancer patient navigation metrics shows significant variability.
• There is a clear need for standardized data collection and reporting practices.
• Standardized quantitative data is vital for the advancement of patient navigation in cancer care.