In England about two million people are living with and beyond cancer, a figure that is expected to increase to more than three million by 2030. Many survivors will experience a wide range of long-term problems as a result of the disease and its treatment, for example, fatigue or sexual difficulties. Nurses can provide care to survivors with unmet needs and act as patient navigators through healthcare systems.
The aim of this literature review was to identify the effect of nurse-led cancer patient navigation programmes on nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. The electronic databases MEDLINE and CINAHL were searched for articles published between January 2005 and April 2016, and hand searches were conducted of the reference lists of included articles. Experimental and quasi-experimental study designs were eligible for inclusion. Three studies involving adult patients with a variety of cancers were evaluated and synthesised.
Overall, they showed that nurse-led cancer patient navigation programmes had some positive effect on outcomes, including reduced length of hospital stay, improved quality of life and satisfaction with care.
Cancer Nursing Practice. 15, 7, 32-38. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2016.e1297
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to double-blind review and has been checked using antiplagiarism software
Conflict of interestNone declared
Received: 08 February 2016
Accepted: 11 July 2016
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