Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force Releases Oncology Navigation Standards of Professional Practice

PITTSBURGH, PA, UNITED STATES, March 28, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Oncology Nursing Society announces the publication of standards for use in the professional delivery of oncology care. With input from many major oncology-focused professional organizations, this new release provides guidance for the application of best practices and is relevant to a range of care providers and settings.

The Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force just released the Oncology Navigation Standards of Professional Practice. These standards were created to provide clinical oncology nurse navigators, social work navigators, and patient navigators with clear information regarding best practices in the provision of professional care. This includes the knowledge and skills all professional navigators should possess to deliver high-quality, competent, and ethical services to people impacted by cancer. These standards also provide benchmarks for use by healthcare employers and information for policy and decision makers, health professionals, and the public to understand the role of professional oncology navigators. These standards are intended to provide guidance and may be applied differently, as appropriate, in diverse settings.

The professional organizations responsible for the creation of the Oncology Navigation Standards for Professional Practice include the Oncology Nursing Society, Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+), Association of Oncology Social Work, and Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses. Patient organizations involved in developing this document include the Cancer Support Community and the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. The foundational steps taken by the Biden Cancer Initiative Working Group on Patient Navigation also led to the creation of this document. We would like to thank all individuals and organizations who reviewed and commented on this document.

“For too long, patients have been on their own after a cancer diagnosis. In the Cancer Moonshot and the Biden Cancer Initiative, the need for help navigating the cancer care system was top of mind in every meeting we held with patients and their caregivers. The Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force has done every cancer patient a true service by delineating the standards we expect in patient navigators, by putting patients at the center of those standards and by laying out a true 360-degree holistic view of the people we call patients,” said Greg Simon, former Executive Director, White House Cancer Moonshot, and former President, Biden Cancer Initiative. With the recent announcement that President Joe Biden is renewing the Cancer Moonshot initiative, the publication of these standards is timely for the professional practice of oncology navigation.

“These standards are the result of an important collaboration among nursing, social work, and patient services organizations. I am so pleased that the work begun during the Obama’s administration Cancer Moonshot and through the Biden Cancer initiative continued as an independent process with the commitment of our organizations,” said Brenda Nevidjon, MSN, RN, FAAN, ONS chief executive officer. “Having one set of standards brings clarity to the cancer care community and will support organizations as they develop their navigation programs.”

More about the Oncology Navigation Standards for Professional Practice can be found in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.

ONS is a professional association that represents 100,000 nurses and is the professional home to more than 35,000 members. ONS is committed to promoting excellence in oncology nursing and the transformation of cancer care. Since 1975, ONS has provided a professional community for oncology nurses, developed evidence-based education programs and treatment information, and advocated for patient care, all in an effort to improve quality of life and outcomes for patients with cancer and their families. Learn more at ons.org.

Nicole Lininger
Oncology Nursing Society
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