Lung cancer diagnosis and care rarely follow a straight path. From first presentation to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, people are required to navigate multiple services, specialists and settings. For many, this complexity can lead to delays, missed appointments and, in the worst cases, late or missed diagnoses. And the impact falls hardest on those already least well served by health systems.
Patient navigation provides a structured solution: dedicated support to guide people through the system, connect them with the right services and reduce the barriers that stand between someone with lung cancer and the care they need.
What patient navigation can achieve
Effective navigation programmes:
- improve coordination across services and reduce gaps in lung cancer care
- address barriers to lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, including practical, social and systemic barriers
- enhance experiences and support person-centred care for people with lung cancer
- improve continuity across the care pathway.
Our report
The report explores the role of patient navigation in improving access to and coordination of lung cancer care, including key insights from patient navigators, and sets out practical recommendations to help policymakers and health system leaders move towards widespread implementation of this role. It addresses:
- how navigation programmes are structured and delivered; what lung cancer patient navigators do at each stage of the care pathway
- the evidence on their impact on access, coordination and outcomes
- what it takes to implement navigation programmes effectively within existing systems
- how navigation programmes can support more equitable access to care.
The report is designed as a practical resource for those looking to develop or strengthen formal patient navigation programmes.
DEBRA MONTAGUE, ALK POSITIVE LUNG CANCER UK