Kristen J. Wells|Tracy A. Battaglia|Donald J. Dudley|Rita Garcia|Amanda Greene|Elizabeth A. Calhoun|Jeanne S. Mandelblatt|Electra D. Paskett|Peter C. Raich
Patient navigation: State of the art or is it science?
Moffitt Cancer Center|Boston University|The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio|National Cancer Institute|Nova Research Company (United States)|University of Illinois at Chicago|Georgetown University Medical Center|Georgetown University|The Ohio State University|University of Colorado Denver|Denver Health Medical Center|Health and Hospital Corporation
abstract first implemented 1990 patient navigation interventions emerging today approach reduce cancer disparities however lack consensus patient navigation defined patient navigators qualifications little known efficacy costeffectiveness patient navigation review authors conducted qualitative synthesis published literature cancer patient navigation using keywords navigator navigation cancer 45 articles identified pubmed database reference searches published press october 2007 sixteen studies provided data efficacy navigation improving timeliness receipt cancer screening diagnostic followup care treatment patient navigation services defined differentiated outreach services overall evidence degree efficacy patient navigation increasing participation cancer screening adherence diagnostic followup care detection abnormality reported increases screening ranged 108 171 increases adherence diagnostic followup care ranged 21 292 compared control patients less evidence regarding efficacy patient navigation reducing either latestage cancer diagnosis delays initiation cancer treatment improving outcomes cancer survivorship methodological limitations studies lack control groups small sample sizes contamination interventions although cancerrelated patient navigation interventions adopted increasingly across united states canada research necessary evaluate efficacy costeffectiveness improving cancer care cancer 2008 2008 american cancer society