Patient navigation core metrics before and after implementation of a nurse navigation program at CHI St. Francis Cancer Treatment Center: A community based cancer program.
e18040 Background: Patient navigation is an intervention to improve cancer outcomes by facilitating timely access to cancer care. Few comparative data exist about the effects of nurse navigation in core navigation metrics (CNM) in a community oncology setting. Methods: During one-year period of a community-based/patient entry-point navigation program, CNMs of newly diagnosed breast and non-breast cancer patients were collected and compared to that of a demographic and tumor characteristics-matched control group prior to navigation. Electronic medical records and tumor registry data were utilized to gather 10 CNMs and 12-mo survival. Results: 72 breast/107 non-breast newly diagnosed navigated cancer patients were compared to same number of matched patients who did not receive navigation. With navigation, significant improvements were observed in interval time to biopsy, pathologic diagnosis, oncology visit, first treatment, and frequency of ancillary consults in breast cancer group. In non-breast cancer group, significant improvements were observed in all CNMs except interval time to pathology diagnosis. Adherence to guidelines and treatment, and 12-mo survival were not different between two groups. Conclusions: A dedicated community based nurse navigation program can significantly improve CNMs and enhance care in both breast and non-breast cancer population in a community oncology setting. [Table: see text]