A recent study investigated the professional development impact of a lung cancer-specific educational workshop on the role of care navigators, as well as whether the workshop improved their “knowledge, confidence, job satisfaction, role effectiveness, and multidisciplinary care contribution.”
Sydney Lloyd, MPHc, BA, of GO2 for Lung Cancer, and colleagues conducted the study and published their findings in CHEST.
Investigators highlighted that it was essential to research improved lung cancer navigation strategies, as “lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and has persistent disparities in detection, treatment, and survivorship.”
“Navigators, including nurses, allied health professionals, and community health workers, are central to addressing these challenges by guiding patients through care pathways and improving access to timely, high-quality care,” Lloyd and her colleagues explained in the study. “Yet, navigators receive little lung cancer-specific training, leaving a gap in workforce preparation.”
To bridge this gap in navigator education, investigators created a “Lung Cancer Navigator Workshop, a professional development program providing lung cancer-specific education.” They put together an advisory board of experts to help guide “key curriculum content considerations, focusing on evidence-based topics, such as screening, diagnosis, biomarker testing, treatment, survivorship, and stigma.”
Healthcare professionals who participated in the workshop attended in-person didactic sessions, which were “supplemented by optional asynchronous content.” Investigators evaluated the effectiveness of the program by performing “immediate post-workshop testing,” in addition to sending out a “nine-month follow-up survey assessing perceived changes in key outcomes.”
Two hundred and seventeen individuals completed the training program and according to the study findings, “evaluation results showed significant knowledge acquisition and sustained impact.”
Furthermore, at the 9-month follow-up point, over 80% of workshop participants “reported meaningful benefits across areas.” Other professional development improvements that were reported by participants included “expanding screening, standardizing diagnostic pathways, integrating risk assessments, and adopting stigma-reducing communication.”
The findings also showed improvements in both job satisfaction and confidence among individuals who attended the workshop.
“Participation in a lung cancer-specific navigator training program was associated with sustained improvements in knowledge and professional outcomes,” investigators concluded. “Targeted training can strengthen the navigator workforce, reduce disparities, advance care coordination, and improve outcomes.”