Nurse Navigator Assists Patients in Uncertain Times
Feb 4, 2008
Breast cancer patients no longer go at it alone at Comprehensive Breast Health at The Imaging Center. A new program is here to assist and benefit area residents to provide the best care and optimal outcomes, during difficult times.
The Nurse Navigator serves as a liaison between patients, and specialty physicians from the time of diagnosis throughout the patient’s treatment. This specialized nurse assists with coordinating appointments, and more importantly provides symptom and treatment education as well as emotional support for the patient.
Emotional support, offering the patient freedom from the fear that usually accompanies a cancer diagnosis, may be their most important role.
“The diagnosis of breast cancer is often frightening and overwhelming,” said Nancy Lee, RN, BSN, the nurse navigator for The Breast Center. “We serve to guide the patient through this uncertainty in achieving their goals in treatment and recovery.”
One of the most important roles in navigation services is keeping all parties informed, which fosters greater communication between the patient and their healthcare team.
Studies indicate the personalized service has a carryover effect regarding patient retention and future referrals: navigated patients are 29 percent more likely to follow up on breast health issues like a questionable mammogram or discovered lump, according to Oncology Issues magazine. The same publication found that patients working with a nurse navigator had biopsies completed 33 percent faster.
In addition to intervention and treatment of cancer diagnosis, The Breast Center also provides screening and diagnostic mammograms and breast biopsies, many of which are negative. Many patients receive support and education about general breast health, and how to treat or reduce factors putting women at risk for breast cancer.
BMH officially began nurse navigation in late 2007, and Lee, who has a background as an Oncology Nurse, has been performing similar duties as a clinical nurse liaison for several years.
“I am so excited and passionate about helping women through their cancer journey,” Lee said. “This is an unknown and terrifying path for many, and I hope to ‘navigate’ them to wholeness and wellness.”
A nurse navigator will typically contact a patient as soon as they encounter an abnormal mammogram. The patient will be asked to come in for additional review or to schedule a biopsy. The intervention of a navigator can shorten the normal process which typically takes several weeks to a detection and biopsy, to within a week.
“I have a unique opportunity,” Lee said. “Not only can we put patients at greater ease, but we can positively impact survival rates by making earlier detections and decisions.”
The Nurse Navigator position complements other services unique to East Central Indiana available through The Breast Center. Colleen Madden, MD, is a national expert trained in Breast MRI, mammography, breast ultrasound and minimally invasive diagnostic techniques. The Breast Center is the only facility in the area to offer Breast MRI, full-time clinical liaison nurses, Nurse Navigator and local radiologists onsite to serve patients.
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