In an recent journal article, the National Navigation Roundtable (NNRT) calls for the standardization of patient navigation core competencies across training programs.
The article was published in Cancer, an international interdisciplinary journal of the American Cancer Society. In the article, a task group from the NNRT examines patient navigator training programs across the country, including the Patient Navigator Training Collaborative (PNTC). The lead author on the article is Patricia Valverde, PhD, MPH, the director of PNTC.
The review of training programs found that nationwide, patient navigator training content is inconsistent, with considerable differences in duration, location, format and content. The task group suggests that a necessary step in the evolution of patient navigation would be the standardization of a minimum set of core competencies across all training programs that prepare individuals to enter the patient navigation workforce.
Read full text of article here
The National Navigation Roundtable is a voluntary collective of more than 40 organizations convened to enhance health equity, improve health outcomes, and broaden access to quality care through a focus on patient navigation. The organization met for its annual meeting in Washington DC, on Nov. 19.