Helping You though Your Journey

A cancer diagnosis can bring many questions and challenges. It can also cause fear and worry. You may need to see several doctors, begin treatment quickly and deal with many concerns outside of your medical care. For example, you may need to balance your appointments with work, family life and needed rest. Cancer care navigators work with providers, social workers and other healthcare team members to help you and your family manage these challenges.

The main goal of cancer care navigation is to make sure you are at the center of your care. Your cancer journey may bring challenges, both with your medical treatment and with your daily life. Navigators look for anything that might make it harder for you to get the care you need. They then help you find ways to overcome those challenges.

Navigation Is a Team Effort

The term “nurse navigator” is often used when talking about cancer care navigation. A nurse navigator is usually the nurse who helps lead the navigation team. But cancer care navigation is not the job of just one person. It takes a whole team.

Nurse navigators work with social workers, dietitians, health psychologists and office support staff. The team members who help you will depend on your needs. Each person brings their own skills and knowledge to help you access the care and support you need.

Cancer care navigation can also work differently from one healthcare organization to another. The first navigation program began in 1990 at Harlem Hospital in New York. It was started by Dr. Harold P. Freeman to help improve healthcare for minority groups who had trouble getting the care they needed.

Today, hospitals and cancer centers use many different types of navigation programs. In some organizations, navigators may be nurses or other trained staff members called “lay navigators.” No matter their job title or training, their main goal is the same: to make sure you and your family can get the care and help you need when cancer treatment begins.

Helping with Barriers to Care

One important job of cancer care navigation is helping you find the right healthcare providers so you can begin treatment as soon as possible.

Most people with cancer need to see cancer doctors, called oncologists, and surgeons. But you may also need other services as part of your care, such as physical therapy, dental care or help from a dietitian.

The goal is to help you move through the healthcare system as easily as possible while making sure your needs come first.

After you begin cancer treatment, you may face challenges that are not related to your medical care. You and your family may also have personal or social problems that make it harder to get treatment. A cancer care navigation team works to find and address these problems.

Some common challenges include:

• Transportation problems: You may have trouble getting to and from your appointments.
• Insurance concerns: You may not have health insurance or may not have enough coverage.
• Financial toxicity: This is a term used in cancer care when the cost of treatment is more than a person or family can afford. These costs can cause stress and financial hardship.
• Food insecurity: You may have trouble getting enough food or enough healthy food, which is important to your treatment.
• Employment challenges: You may not be able to work enough hours to keep your job or may not have enough time off for treatment.

Each member of the cancer care navigation team uses their own skills to help with these different, but often connected, problems.

For example, social workers can help connect you with community programs and services that offer social and financial support. Dietitians can help you meet your nutrition needs and find help if you have trouble getting enough food. Some cancer care navigation teams also include health psychologists. They can offer mental health support to you and your family. This can be important because feelings of anxiety and depression may develop during cancer treatment.

Working as a team helps everyone understand that cancer care involves more than medical treatment. Treatment can take up a large part of your life. You may need chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. You will also need time to rest and recover. During this time, you may need help with many other parts of your daily life.

How to Connect with Navigation Services

At ChristianaCare, we use several ways to find patients who may benefit from cancer care navigation. One way is through referrals from healthcare providers. For example, oncologists may contact nurse navigators or social workers when they think a patient needs extra help.

Another way is by reaching out to patients after they leave a hospital’s cancer unit. After a patient goes home, healthcare providers look for those who may benefit from a nurse navigator who has special knowledge about their type of cancer.

Patients may also be identified through team clinics and tumor conferences. During these conferences, members of your healthcare team meet to talk about your cancer care plan and decide which treatments may be best for you. These meetings can also help the team find patients who may need extra support.

You Don’t Have to Go Through Cancer Treatment Alone

A new cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming. You may not know what to expect from treatment or how it will affect your job and family. But you do not have to go through this experience alone. Feel free to ask your cancer care navigation team any questions you have, even if they seem simple.

It is also important to remember that it is OK to accept help from others during this time. In fact, you will likely need it. Cancer care navigation teams are there to help you and your family find and address problems that may come up during your care. Nurse navigators, social workers, dietitians, health psychologists and office support staff work together to connect you with the care and resources you need, no matter what type of cancer you have.

Remember, you are at the center of this important work. Your team is here to help you find the right providers, services and support as you begin and continue your cancer care journey. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer and would like to learn more about cancer care navigation, ask any of your providers for more details.