Kathy Henrichsen, BSN, RN,
Gynecological Nurse Navigator
St. Marks Hospital, Utah
“Kathy’s ability to have consistent, compassionate, and honest conversations with patients opened the door for her to make this treatment-altering patient catch.”—Mandy Passmore (Mitchell)
RN, BSN, CMSRN
Director, Oncology
Navigation Operations
St. Mark’s Hospital
A CATCH is a navigation success story where a navigation tactic improved a patient’s situation. The CATCH Initiative, short for Catching & Addressing Threats to Care & Health, tracks and acknowledges positive outcomes of navigation tactics.
The Catch of the Month
Background: Through a routine follow-up, the navigator recognized miscommunication among multidisciplinary team members affecting the patient’s treatment plan.
The Incident: Kathy, while completing a routine postoperative patient touchpoint for a uterine cancer patient, reinforced clinical education and care coordination for chemotherapy that was to begin the following week. The patient shared with the navigator that she had an appointment that same week to see a surgeon for her breast cancer diagnosis.
The CATCH (Intervention): Once confirming that neither the uterine cancer care team nor the breast cancer care team knew about the dual cancers, Kathy immediately facilitated a connection between the care teams. Once the teams were able to share information, the patient’s treatment plan was ultimately altered.
The Importance of the CATCH
This particular case was presented and discussed at the institution’s tumor board, opening the door for a multidisciplinary discussion about the situation. Currently, this patient is in appropriate treatment and tolerating it well.
This CATCH effectively highlights the significance of a multidisciplinary approach to care and the importance of communication among the multidisciplinary team members. The navigator was able to fulfill her role by connecting the dots and confirming that everyone, including the patient, was on the same page.
It also emphasizes the need for the navigator to build rapport with the patient, as the patient felt comfortable sharing her additional diagnosis with the navigator. Patients, especially oncology patients, can have comorbidities or, as in this case, even another primary cancer that can add complexity to treatment. Navigators can bridge those gaps in communication and confirm everyone is clear on the patient’s diagnosis and medical history, which can then lead to better outcomes.
