Bridging Gaps in Pain Management: A Qualitative Study of Nurse Navigator Roles

This study explores healthcare professionals' perspectives on how a Nurse Navigator (NN) role can be used to enhance pain management for adults with pain living in community settings.

A qualitative descriptive design was employed using virtual focus groups to gather data from healthcare professionals experienced in nurse navigation, care coordination, or case management.

A convenience sample of seven U.S.-based participants was recruited, all of whom reported current or prior experience working as or with NNs, care coordinators, or case managers. Participants held roles in pain and oncology-focused navigation across diverse geographic regions. Focus groups were conducted via videoconferencing, recorded, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis to identify common themes.

Four key themes emerged: Creative Problem Solving, Functional Roles of Care Navigation, Relational Roles of Care Navigation, and Emotional Support. These themes highlight the multifaceted ways NNs can support adults with pain through coordinating care, managing resources, fostering relationships, and providing empathetic support - key components of person-centered pain management.

The findings underscore the potential of NNs to improve pain management through personalized advocacy and care coordination. Integrating NNs into care teams may offer opportunities to enhance outcomes and address systemic barriers. Healthcare organizations should consider investing in formal training, role standardization, and supportive policies to develop NN roles and measure impacts on community-based pain management.