Patient Navigation as a Strategy for Addressing Breast Cancer Disparities
摘要
Structural barriers lead to poor outcomes for women with breast cancer; patient navigation aims to address these barriers by providing personalized support. This chapter focuses on breast cancer navigation across the continuum of care to demonstrate the widespread applications of patient navigation.
Recent FindingsThe primary goals of breast cancer navigation are to improve access to screening and timely care, but navigators serve a diverse range of roles that address barriers. Several programs have published outcomes data demonstrating the positive impact of navigation on patients served.
SummaryWe reviewed the history and scope of breast cancer navigation programs, including examples of patient navigation in other clinical contexts, to expand on opportunities to implement future directions of these programs. Evidence suggests that navigation has the potential to improve access to timely care, particularly for medically underserved women; therefore, patient navigation is an important tool for eliminating breast cancer disparities.