TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of nurse navigators’ activities for hospital discharge coordination
T2 - a mixed method study for the case of cancer patients
AU - Yatim, Fatima
AU - Cristofalo, Paula
AU - Ferrua, Marie
AU - Girault, Anne
AU - Lacaze, Marilene
AU - Di Palma, Mario
AU - Minvielle, Etienne
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, The Author(s).
PY - 2017/3/1
Y1 - 2017/3/1
N2 - Background: Modern cancer care requires the development of clinical pathways to enhance coordination, but there are few descriptive studies about the content of coordination activities. More specifically, little is known about hospital discharge coordination, although this is seen as a sensitive phase of clinical pathway. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify the categories of activities performed by nurse navigators for hospital discharge coordination. Methods: Patients supported within the Coordinating Outpatient Care department (COC) at Gustave Roussy (Villejuif, France). Study conducted over two consecutive phases (Feb-September 2014): (1) a qualitative phase to identify the categories of coordination activities (interviews with patients plus, focus groups with nurse navigators—NNs); (2) a quantitative phase to quantify the relative share of each category. The calls received through the telephone platform of COC (made by both patients and primary care providers) were systematically reported (caller; reason for the call; procedure performed) and then analyzed. Results: Qualitative phase: 17 interviews with patients, plus 2 focus groups with NNs. Quantitative phase: 543 calls analyzed. The callers were patients or their relatives (38 %), private nurses (35 %), medical device providers (20 %), and other primary care providers (e.g., pharmacists, family physicians) (7 %). Five categories of coordination activities identified: (F1) Patient monitoring (29 %); (F2) Helping to navigate (24 %); (F3) Managing technical problems (17 %); (F4) Explaining care protocols (16 %); (F5) Collecting and transmitting the patient medical record information (14 %). Conclusions: The majority of requirements are related to organizational issues (e.g., navigation, lack of information, appointments). Nurse navigators’ training and qualification must therefore combine both clinical and managerial skills.
AB - Background: Modern cancer care requires the development of clinical pathways to enhance coordination, but there are few descriptive studies about the content of coordination activities. More specifically, little is known about hospital discharge coordination, although this is seen as a sensitive phase of clinical pathway. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify the categories of activities performed by nurse navigators for hospital discharge coordination. Methods: Patients supported within the Coordinating Outpatient Care department (COC) at Gustave Roussy (Villejuif, France). Study conducted over two consecutive phases (Feb-September 2014): (1) a qualitative phase to identify the categories of coordination activities (interviews with patients plus, focus groups with nurse navigators—NNs); (2) a quantitative phase to quantify the relative share of each category. The calls received through the telephone platform of COC (made by both patients and primary care providers) were systematically reported (caller; reason for the call; procedure performed) and then analyzed. Results: Qualitative phase: 17 interviews with patients, plus 2 focus groups with NNs. Quantitative phase: 543 calls analyzed. The callers were patients or their relatives (38 %), private nurses (35 %), medical device providers (20 %), and other primary care providers (e.g., pharmacists, family physicians) (7 %). Five categories of coordination activities identified: (F1) Patient monitoring (29 %); (F2) Helping to navigate (24 %); (F3) Managing technical problems (17 %); (F4) Explaining care protocols (16 %); (F5) Collecting and transmitting the patient medical record information (14 %). Conclusions: The majority of requirements are related to organizational issues (e.g., navigation, lack of information, appointments). Nurse navigators’ training and qualification must therefore combine both clinical and managerial skills.
KW - Cancer patients
KW - Discharge coordination
KW - Nurse navigator
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-016-3474-x
DO - 10.1007/s00520-016-3474-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 27830394
AN - SCOPUS:84994387474
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 25
SP - 863
EP - 868
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 3
ER -
