The process of oncology nurse practitioner patient navigation: navigation in the chemotherapy suite, navigation tools revisited

Abstract

working relations between advanced practice nurses administrative supervisors, and medical staff Johnson 4 Farrell et al. 3 The role and responsibilities of ONP's in the chemotherapy suite requires clear delineation, and negotiation of the role with the physician. Literature has shown that ill coordinated care for chemotherapy patients can hinder high level collaborative relationships, and negatively impact patient care Bunnell et al. 5 Several tools have been identified as successful in improving patient navigation in the chemotherapy suite, which foster collaborative practice. These include: the team huddle, gerontological assessments tools, and this authors care coordination worksheet tool entitled the Chemotherapy Care Coordination Rounding tool.

The Process of Oncology Nurse Practitioner Patient Navigation: A Grounded Theory Approach

“…Additionally this type of tool could be used as a triage mechanism which would identify those at risk of not receiving and/or completing care, and barriers could be addressed accordingly in a systems fashion. Oncology related triage tools are of crucial importance as failure of the best of care plans can be thwarted by an inept triage process [48][49][50][51].…”

“…Most importantly this would necessitate that the ONP's have direct input in reference to matching evaluative processes of facility metrics with community, state, and universal metrics for evaluation of their impact on cancer control [48][49][50][51].…”

“…Additionally not all of the navigators were supported in utilizing their advanced practice skills. Practicing to the highest level of their licensure, and clearly defining the role is important in terms of providing continuity of care, and consistency within the role definition [48][49][50][51]. According to Grainne, Plummer, O'Brien, and Boyd (2011), defining what NPs do professionally promotes nursing in the global context, and helps raise the profile of nursing as a profession [53].…”