The Patient-Centered Education & Research Institute (PCERI) and the National Navigation Round Table (NNRT) have similar expectations about what patient navigators need to know. PCERI has incorporated NNRT standards into its forty-five patient navigator competencies and is implementing certification testing to reflect this change. View the new standards here.
This addition to the field of patient navigation broadens while also solidifying the scope of practice. It importantly combines the general skills of patient navigators in oncology and in the broader practice of medicine across all disciplines. It provides a path for non-clinical and clinically-focused patient navigators to provide more effective patient-centered care. Most importantly, It improves the odds for postive patient outcomes.