Advantages of implementing the Oncology Nurse Navigator: Scoping Review Protocol

Introduction: The concept of Oncology Nurse Navigator refers to nurses who, in the context of oncology, develop interventions focused on patients and their families/caregivers, facilitating access to care, health education, care coordination, and communication with the interprofessional team throughout the course of the disease. Although the literature describes their areas of competence, knowledge about the advantages associated with their implementation has not been systematised in any study. Objective: To map the advantages of implementing Oncology Nurse Navigators. Methodology: A scoping review will be conducted according to the methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The search will be conducted in the CINAHL and MEDLINE (via EBSCO), Scielo and LILACS databases. Grey literature will be accessed in RCAAP, DART-Europe and OpenGrey. Studies in Portuguese, English and Spanish will be included, with no time limitation. Data selection, extraction and presentation will follow the JBI recommendations for scoping reviews. Results and Discussion: We expect to map and categorise the advantages associated with the implementation of the Oncology Nurse Navigator, identifying the domains in which these are reported (e.g., patient care, service organisation, interprofessional coordination and patient experience). The results will be presented and interpreted in narrative form and tables. Conclusion: This scoping review will allow us to systematise existing knowledge about the advantages of implementing the Oncology Nurse Navigator, identify gaps in the literature, and support clinical and organisational decision-making in the context of oncology.