August 2010, Vol 3, No 5 by The Oncology Nurse

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Journal of Oncology

NAVIGATION & SURVIVORSHIP

™

The Official Journal of the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators ® AUGUST 2010

www.AONNonline.org

VOL 1, NO 3

GETTING STARTED

Launching the Navigation Program that Is Best for You. Part 1: Defining Your Program Leadership Council

By Dawn Lagrosa

Lillie Shockney, RN, BS, MAS Johns Hopkins Breast Center Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland

CHICAGO—For those involved in successful navigation programs were navigation, or those who have looked presented by a panel of nurses and into starting navigation programs, one administrators at the third annual thing is evident: No two programs are Oncology Update of the American exactly the same. However, the advan- College of Oncology Administrators. tages of patient navigation can be had “Navigation is even a buzzword in our by all—academic centers, community Capitol,” said Bonnie Miller, RN, BSN, cancer centers, hospitalOCN, who chaired the panel. based centers, multiple Miller, who is administrative location groups. Despite director of the Women’s Cancer the various models of navCenter at Fox Chase, Philaigation, the goal remains delphia, noted that recent legisthe same, to help healthlation has paved the road for care consumers access and navigation. chart a course through the The Patient Navigator, Outhealthcare system and reach, and Chronic Disease Preovercome barriers to qualvention Act of 2005 identified, Bonnie Miller, RN, ity care. from a legislative point of view, BSN, OCN Multiple strategies to what navigators should do:

Sharon Gentry, RN, MSN, AOCN, CBCN Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center Winston-Salem, North Carolina Nicole Messier, RN Vermont Cancer Center Burlington, Vermont Pamela Matten, RN, BSN, OCN St. Joseph Hospital Orange, California Elaine Sein, RN, BSN, OCN, CBCN Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners Rockledge, Pennsylvania Tricia Strusowski, MS, RN Helen F. Graham Cancer Center Christiana Care Health System Newark, Delaware Linda Fleisher, MPH, PhD(c) Fox Chase Cancer Center Cheltenham, Pennsylvania Susan M. Gardner, RN, CBEC, CBCN Valley Medical Center Renton, Washington Jay R. Swanson, RN, BSN, OCN Saint Elizabeth Cancer Institute Lincoln, Nebraska Carol Lewis, RN, BSN, OCN, CRNI Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, Texas

• Anticipate, identify, and help patients overcome barriers within healthcare systems • Assist in coordination of healthcare services and referrals • Help and facilitate involvement of community organizations • Assist individuals at risk for either cancer or other chronic disease. “Those of you who are navigators, if you look at your job descriptions, some of those things are a part of it,” said Miller. But each program is different, as is each navigator. “Before you implement a navigation program, remember that one size does not fit all. You have to review your current system and look at your gaps in care,” Miller explained. Continued on page 2

CARE PLANS

Oncology Nurses Need More Training for Survivorship Planning By Jill Stein

SAN DIEGO—New survey results indicate that although most oncology nurses believe that survivorship planning for cancer patients is their responsibility, often they do not consider themselves sufficiently prepared to knowledgeably discuss survivorship issues with patients and their families. The findings were reported at the

35th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society. Joanne Lester, PhD, CRNP, ANPBC, AOCN, research scientist/nurse practitioner at James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, presented the results of an online survey that assessed oncology nurses’ knowledge about survivorship care planning.

“Survivorship planning is a relatively new component of the overall management of cancer patients,” Lester, who is also clinical assistant professor at Ohio State University College of Nursing, pointed out. In recent years, the Institute of Medicine has called on healthcare proContinued on page 3

AONN Staff Sean T. Walsh Executive Director sean@aonnonline.org

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