I thought it might be good to start a thread on Patient Navigators to see what others think about
the service. My best experience with a patient navigator was at the MD Anderson Proton Center. My navigator was an oncology nurse who made sure I completed any required protocols, arranged all of my appointments, including with other departments and rescheduled appointments when I needed to change them. She was empathic, friendly and responsive. Most importantly she answered my emails and phone calls in a timely manner. She was even able to track down a pathology report which I was unable to get from medical records. It was a relief to have the written report which turned out to be lacking. I was also able to compare navigator services with another university based comprehensive cancer facility. At this facility we were given a tour of the facility by the navigator but received no other assistance with making appointments for services. Luckily the radiation oncologist at this facility took over the navigator's role. He answered my questions via email and made sure I got the appointments I needed in a timely fashion. When I finally decided on treatment I decided to have the radiation therapy at a local hospital cancer center close to my home. The care was fine, but I was on my own as they didn't employ navigators. For instance, I had a really hard time arranging my second Lupron shot and ended up going to my UR to have them order the medication. Oncology nurses increasingly are joining the ranks of patient navigators. But, trained patient navigators can resolve those issues without an extensive medical background. Here is a link to a study on the value of patient navigators https://aonnonline.org/education/standardized-metrics/navigation-metrics-quality-study
69 yrs., 44 3D-CRT/IMRT Radiation delivered via 3D-CRT in 1.8 Gy minimum dose fractions to a total of 79.2 Gy., 10.5.18. PSA .012, 8.12.18, 1.42 June 18, 2018 (Lupron 5.21.18 & 8.15.18), 12.7 May 2018, 13.7 Jan. 2018, 2.1 May 2012. SpaceOar 9.6.18, testosterone <.7, 8.15.18, Tot Mayo 19 ng .17 testosterone Free 6.18.18, Gleason 3+4=7 involving 15% of the right apex and 15% of the right mid, 3+3=6 prostate cancer involving 5% of the left base. Pathology interpretations by John Hopkins, UNM Cancer, and SF Path 3+4=7 or 4+3=7 MD Anderson Proton Center w/o %. T3 MRI w/ contrast 1.8 lesion left side 5P, Neg. Bone Scan. Prolaris test 3.5 consistent with intermediate and a PTEN test negative. Father PC age 78 RT & ADT now 94 yrs. Neurogenic bladder due to lumbar disk disease and recurrent bladder neck contracture with urinary retention man. 20 years doing catheterizations. TURP & scaring 2003, Finasteride 5 milligrams daily since 2002.
Post Edited (SantaZia) : 1/6/2019 5:42:24 AM (GMT-7)