Barriers to Care

Transportation barriers particularly affect patients with cancer who need timely access to care. Read on for strategies to address these barriers as presented at the 2022 AONN+ Midyear Conference.

Yale University researchers say a community-based, collaborative oncology navigation approach works better than primarily hospital-based services in helping underserved minority women with breast cancer.

Sarah H. Kagan, PhD, RN, AOCN, APRN-BC, FAAN, FGSA explains the benefits and surprises of working with older patients in cancer care.

Sarah H. Kagan, PhD, RN, AOCN, APRN-BC, FAAN, FGSA shares the ideal roles that would make up the multidisciplinary care team of older populations with cancer.

Sarah H. Kagan, PhD, RN, AOCN, APRN-BC, FAAN, FGSA offers 1 piece of advice to oncology navigators who are providing care to older patients.

Ageism is prevalent in healthcare and is the number 1 barrier that older patients with cancer face when receiving care.

Sarah H. Kagan, PhD, RN, AOCN, APRN-BC, FAAN, FGSA explains why we need specialized programs to address the needs of older people living with cancer.

Nancy Peña, OPN-CG, Founder and Director, Navegación de Pacientes International, explains how nurse navigators are being trained to serve more patients, especially indigenous peoples. Rowan Robinson, BN, MSN, Navigator/Quality Lead, Netcare, Ltd, South Africa, explains that the concept of navigation is relatively new in South Africa. She discusses a pilot program there that focused on patients with breast cancer.

Nancy Peña, OPN-CG, Founder and Director, Navegación de Pacientes International, describes the differences in navigation in Guatemala versus the United States. Navigators face challenges with time, money, and data collection. Rowan Robinson, BN, MSN, Navigator/Quality Lead, Netcare, Ltd, South Africa, says that South African navigators encountered suspicion from patients, which led to a marketing campaign to introduce navigation.

Navigators must educate providers and patients about the role of the navigator and how it differs from other practitioners, such as social workers, says Nancy Peña, OPN-CG, Founder and Director, Navegación de Pacientes International. Rowan Robinson, BN, MSN, Navigator/Quality Lead, Netcare, Ltd, South Africa, mentions the crucial need for education across the board since navigation is a new practice in South Africa.