How patient navigators assist minority patients and improve quality of their care and health outcomes

Evidence shows that racial/ethnic minorities and underserved populations do not always receive timely, appropriate advice and care when confronted with a cancer diagnosis. The Patient Navigator Program was established to address these issues as part of a larger framework of National Cancer Institute initiatives to reduce cancer health disparities. A patient navigator is usually a patient from the community who provides one-on-one assistance to patients, from the point of cancer suspicion or diagnosis to the point of resolution, including treatment for cancer. The navigator's role is to eliminate barriers to timely diagnosis and quality treatment, such as lack of health insurance, communication problems, issues dealing with a complex health care system, false beliefs and lack of trust.

We will explain how cancer myths, poor access to care and low health literacy prevent patients from taking advantage of screening programs and care, and how patient navigators help them to overcome distrust and fears, keep their appointments and manage their care. We will describe the difficulties of navigating through the health care system after a cancer diagnosis, and offer a case example of a patient navigator assisting a cancer patient from an underserved community. We will describe how the patient overcame financial, language, health delivery, travel or emotional challenges and fears to complete their course of treatment. Finally, we will report on cumulative successes of the patient navigator program in one health care setting where dozens of patients have been assisted and gone on to help others.