Global Initiative to Advance Cancer Navigation for Better Outcomes
What is Patient Navigation?
Patient navigation in cancer care is an individualized intervention that aims to address barriers and facilitate timely access to healthcare services, diagnosis, and treatments and care, with the following common characteristics:
- Identifies barriers to assessing care experienced by individuals
- Overcomes barriers (e.g., healthcare system, literacy, language, cultural, social, financial, and logistical) experienced by individuals
- Addresses disparities from contextual barriers (e.g., geographical, racial/ethnic, financial, socioeconomic)
- Can occur anywhere along the cancer care continuum (from early detection to end-of-life)
- Can be delivered by various personnel (including but not limited to the following:
- Clinical Navigators: nurses and oncology social workers.
- Non-Clinical Navigators: case managers, outreach workers, community health workers/aides/representatives/volunteers, counsellors, educators, health coaches, peers, cancer survivors, and lay personnel
Patient navigation in cancer care includes support for individuals, families, and caregivers to (i) navigate the health system; and (ii) address holistic, emotional, educational/informational, and carer needs.
About GINO
In May 2023, Flinders University, MASCC, and Novartis partnered on a Global Initiative to Advance Cancer Navigation for Better Outcomes (GINO).
GINO aims to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of navigation programs globally.
The project has 3 stages and commenced in September 2023:
- Stage 1: Development of a MASCC practice framework and international position statement for patient navigation in cancer (0 – 18 months)
- Stage 2: Development and testing of a core set of quality and efficiency indicators for patient navigation benchmarking (12 – 36 months)
- Stage 3: Development of implementation guidance and a global community of practice for local adaptation (12 – 36 months).
Project updates and resources will be shared here. If you have any questions about this project please contact Dr Imogen Ramsey.
Steering Committee
Prof Ray Chan
Dr Imogen Ramsey
Dr Fiona Crawford-Williams
Dr Carla Thamm
Dr Dawn Aubel
Prof Margaret Fitch
Melissa Chin
Carolyn Taylor
Prof Alexandre Chan
Dr Enrique Soto Pérez de Celis
Dr Ebele Mbanugo
Dr Jackie Bender
Prof Michael Jefford
