The 2022 AONN+ Midyear Conference was a Live and Virtually-Streamed meeting that was held on May 12-15, 2022. The AONN+ Midyear Conference is designed to address the questions of navigators, social workers, physicians, and administrators in regard to cancer care, and offer practical solutions from experts and peers in implementing effective programs and measuring their outcomes. To further extend the educational reach of the meeting, highlights of the information presented at the conference will disseminated to the full AONN membership and the oncology nursing community through an accredited CE 8-12 page highlights monograph that will appear in the Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship®, The Oncology Nurse-APN/PA®, as well as on-line on the journal websites: www.TheOncologyNurse.com ; http://www.jons-online.com/

The accredited CE program titled, Managing Oncolytics in Breast Cancer: The Pivotal Role of Nurse Navigators, was a 60-minute live and live-streamed session that occurred during the 2022 AONN Midyear Conference taking place on May 11-15, 2022, in Austin, TX. The session was live on May 14 during the conference and was live-streamed to attendees who are participating in the conference in a virtual format.

This is the second of 2 CE-accredited webinars designed for oncology nurses, advanced practice nurses, and oncology nurse navigators around the updates to the US Preventive Services Task Force lung cancer screening guidelines and the role that nurses and nurse navigators can play in implementing a lung cancer screening program. Highlights of the updated guidelines, along with supporting data on low-dose computed tomography and patient selection for screening, will be presented via case study patient experiences. In addition, best practices in implementing a lung cancer screening program will be discussed.

This is the first of 2 accredited CE webinars designed for oncology nurses, advanced practice nurses, and oncology nurse navigators, around the updates to the USPSTF lung cancer screening guidelines and the role that nurses and nurse navigators can play in implementing a lung cancer screening program. Details of the updated guidelines, along with supporting data on LDCT and patient selection for screening, will be presented. In addition, best practices in implementing the guidelines will be discussed, along with suggestions on how to navigate the new CMS regulations to facilitate reimbursement for lung cancer screening and counseling.

Frequent mammogram screening among 50- to 69-year-old women decreases breast cancer mortality between 20% and 35%; however, comorbidities, existing in the presence of a breast cancer diagnosis, significantly lower rates of survival. Our primary objective was to determine if screening rates differed among individuals with and without diagnoses of any of the following: diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), skin cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, kidney disease, or depression compared with healthy patients. We found that people with co-occurring diagnoses including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, skin cancer, and arthritis completed breast cancer screening more often than those with no comorbidities, but that individuals living with CVD, COPD, and depression were less likely to complete screenings.

Course participants will learn how their daily practice as a navigator sets the foundation for creating abstracts. Learners will identify key pieces in assembling a successful abstract such as abstract writing, creative presentation, and submission. Education will be enhanced by the sharing of best practices and opportunities to dialogue with faculty.

Cancer care delivery approaches to address financial toxicity among cancer patients are not well-established, especially in rural communities. In this study, we identified healthcare staff perspectives of financial toxicity experienced by cancer patients and examined staff- and systems-level cancer care delivery approaches for addressing financial toxicity, with a focus on rural cancer survivors in Kentucky. We conducted interviews with cancer center staff who provided financial navigation and/or assistance to oncology patients and their caregivers at 15 cancer centers in Kentucky. Findings from this study revealed several key factors related to the availability and accessibility of cancer care delivery approaches at patient, staff, and system levels for reducing financial toxicity and improving access to care for rural and urban cancer survivors. Participants perceived high financial toxicity among cancer patients, especially in rural regions, related to the high cost of cancer care, as well the patients’ limited ability to engage in cost-of-care conversations, low cost-related health literacy, and challenges in navigating cancer care. The availability of trained financial navigators/counselors dedicated solely to assisting the cancer patient population was limited, as was the use of standardized and proactive screening methods for financial toxicity. While in-house and external financial assistance programs were frequently tapped into, there were limitations in the navigators’ ability to provide cost estimates based on insurance coverage and in assisting patients with applying for health insurance. Gaps in cancer care delivery approaches to reduce financial toxicity of patients included enhanced transportation options, additional financial navigation staff, early assessment of patient financial barriers and concerns, increased cost transparency, and enhanced cost-of-care conversations between patients and clinicians. Establishing sustainable oncology-designated financial navigation roles is imperative to expanding patient support and improving health and financial outcomes of cancer patients in rural communities.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among adolescent and young adult (AYA) females in the United States. Compared with older adults, female AYAs are more likely to experience a delay in diagnosis and are more likely to face other challenges, such as childcare and decisions about fertility preservation. Despite increasing awareness of AYAs with cancer, few studies consider underserved groups such as racial/ethnic minorities or low-income individuals. In this needs assessment, therefore, we focused on female AYAs who may be most likely to experience health disparities: those from racial/ethnic minorities, and/or have low income, live outside urban areas, and/ or those with metastatic BC. Information was combined from focus groups with AYA survivors and key informant interviews with those who provide services to them. The findings point to the key role navigators can play in providing sustained support that is tailored to AYA survivors.

Oncology patients undergoing treatment may have an oncology nurse navigator (ONN) as part of the care team. ONNs are professional registered nurses with oncology clinical knowledge who assist patients in overcoming barriers within the healthcare system to achieve improved outcomes. The purpose of the study “Emergency Department Utilization by Navigated Oncology Patients Compared with Non-Navigated Oncology Patients” was to determine if oncology patients who were assigned nurse navigators utilized the emergency department differently than patients who did not have a nurse navigator. The authors analyzed data from 2 acute care facilities in 1 Western state over 3 years, comparing the frequency of emergency department visits and descriptive characteristics of navigated with non-navigated oncology patients. The 2 groups (navigated and non-navigated patients) varied in characteristics, including cancer type, tumor stage, number of comorbidities, and use of hospice care. The authors controlled for differences to compare emergency department use between the groups. Despite this, results indicated that navigated patients utilized the emergency department more frequently. While unexpected, the results provide an opportunity for ONN programs to evaluate the process and the accuracy of the data obtained from measuring clinical outcomes. The research provided an opportunity to improve the referral and communication processes with the ONN program at the health system, an implication for other facilities. Analyzing quality data, including emergency department visits, associated with ONNs highlights opportunities for high(er)-risk and vulnerable cancer patients to be identified and supported earlier in their cancer process.

High grade gliomas have one of the worst prognoses of all cancers with a median survival 15 months and 5-year survival of 5.6%. In order to ensure timely access to adjuvant treatment after surgical resection, interprofessional communication is critical. We implemented a nurse-driven electronic follow-up list through our EMR to facilitate weekly interprofessional discussions between the neuro-oncologist, neurosurgeon, and oncology nurse navigator. The goal of this study was to determine if this follow up list reduced the time it took for patients to follow-up with the neuro-oncologist, receive radiation therapy, and receive chemotherapy. The study sample included patients with mostly high-grade glioma who had unplanned (i.e. urgent) surgery, since these patients are thought to be most at risk for delayed follow-up. The study found that patients were more likely to follow up within 2 weeks, and receive chemotherapy within 30 days after the follow-up list was implemented. The improvement was especially noticed in patients who did not have insurance, since they were able to be enrolled in charity care programs at our institution early in their post-operative period.