“Expert Patient Navigation” with Deb Christensen, MSN, APRN [Video]

June 12, 2024 – Cancer Patient Lab Meeting #99
Join the discussion forum at community.cancerpatientlab.org

“The thing that I do in my work that makes it so meaningful is having conversations with people.” – Deb Christensen, MSN, APRN

“The expertise that our PhDs hold are along the lines of cell signaling pathways and tumorigenesis, to biomarker investigation and discovery. They cover the gamut of understanding the biology at the molecular levels. That is important, and we’ve seen some really interesting input from them.” – Rebecca Driscoll

Meeting Summary
From their initial diagnosis, cancer patients and their caregivers are confronted with many challenges as they attempt to navigate the healthcare system, understand their disease, and deal with the emotional and social aspects of a life-threatening diagnosis:

● Emotional stress: Coming to grips with a life-threatening diagnosis while usually having no background in the disease, testing or treatment options, or the healthcare system.
● Complex cancer landscape: With a 94% growth in the number of cancer treatments available over the last five years, it is becoming more difficult for both patients and providers to stay up-to-date on rapidly evolving guidelines. The continuous approval of new tests and therapies means that what you know becomes obsolete every six months or so.
● Information overload: Patients and families have unprecedented access to information (97% of patients use Google), yet are overwhelmed due to the lack of information curation and medical education to interpret complex molecular biology.
● Limited time with doctors: Cancer patients have on average only 23 minutes with their oncologist, and healthcare providers are seeing an increased number of cancer patients. Tools to help enable shared-decision making are essential in making that limited time as efficient as possible.

Deb Christensen, MSN, APRN, is uniquely qualified to discuss how patients and caregivers navigate through the medical system and their cancer care journey. She has 20+ years of experience in nursing and has multiple certifications, including as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist with an oncology specialty. She was previously the Director of Patient Services for Cancer Commons and former System Lead for Oncology Navigation and Survivorship for a large healthcare system. She is regularly published by and a Contributing Editor for the Oncology Nursing Society’s publication, VOICE, and other nursing publications. Deb has committed the remainder of her working years to helping cancer patients navigate to the best possible care. Starting Cancer Help Desk is her “dream job” and every day is committed to helping patients and caregivers who can benefit from her experience as an oncology advanced practice nurse. Cancer Help Desk is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals facing cancer. Their services range from guiding patients to optimal resources, tests, and treatments to connecting them with expert oncology nurses and PhD scientists for personalized care plans. Deb was joined by Rebecca Driscoll, Co-founder and CEO at Cancer Help Desk.

What are the challenges that cancer patients and caregivers face in navigating their care that nurse navigators can help with?

Testing: Identify what tests to get, when to get testing done, and get access
Treatment
● Understand cancer treatment options
● Navigate clinical trials
● Assess molecular pathways and identify treatable targets
● Access treatments, especially off-label or non-standard,
● Find a provider willing to prescribe off-label

Administration
● Schedule appointments
● Gather and review medical records
● Shop for service providers
● Fill out applications and paperwork
● Get insurance reimbursement

Coaching
● Prepare for doctor conversations
● Provide emotional support, listen, validate

How can scientists help patients and caregivers navigate cancer care?
● Provide an unbiased view of your case and offer personalized treatment suggestions, focusing on the biology of your cancer
● Analyze medical records and pathology reports

Review these services to see which ones could be provided by a navigation service versus ones you could do yourself or get through other sources, such as your medical team or a network of fellow patients.

The information and opinions expressed on this website or platform, or during discussions and presentations (both verbal and written) are not intended as health care recommendations or medical advice by Cancer Patient Lab, its principals, presenters, participants, or representatives for any medical treatment, product, or course of action. You should always consult a doctor about your specific situation before pursuing any health care program, treatment, product or other course of action that might affect your health.

Full transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sSVAhDQ2zCMhGnHjHr2zEF7eW–CpSAswFtbo_c-Fy8/edit?usp=sharing