Insights into Navigation
With the delay in mammogram screenings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, oncology professionals should be prepared with resources for patients being diagnosed with higher stages of breast cancer.
Navigation teams may find it difficult to truly work together as a team if roles and responsibilities aren’t delineated.
When it comes to communicating with our patients, we need to take steps to ensure they are understanding of their diagnosis and next steps.
Preparing patients for the possibility of cancer recurrence is essential to their treatment plan. As oncology navigators, we should be prepared to respond to different reactions that may come from a diagnosis of recurrence.
Some patients with cancer may choose to become pregnant before they die. As their nurse navigators and patient navigators, we need to assist in considering the ethics and possibilities of this choice.
While COVID-19 may feel like it’s coming to an end for some, patients with cancer who haven’t gotten the vaccine need to continue to take extra precautions.
Hospice care often doesn’t occur until a patient is too ill to continue treatment. Encouraging patients to seek hospice care earlier could lead to a better quality of life and preparation for end of life.
Even after being diagnosed with cancer, it is never too late for a patient to implement healthy lifestyle and behavior changes.
Patients with cancer who undergo limb removal or have a mastectomy may experience phantom limb pain or sensations. As oncology navigators, we should discuss and prepare our patients for this possibility.
As more patients with childhood cancer reach adulthood, trends of risky behavior can be seen among this patient population.
