Patient navigation in women's health care for maternal health and noncancerous gynecologic conditions: a scoping review.
Jiwon Oh
PMID 38650325WHAT IT FOUND
Fourteen studies described seven patient navigation programs for perinatal or family planning care, mostly in the United States and mostly with low-income or minority women.
No programs were found for noncancerous gynecologic conditions, and the review did not show that navigation improves care.
Key findings
01The review included 14 studies and seven unique patient navigation programs.
02No patient navigation programs were found for noncancerous gynecologic conditions.
03The most common quantitative outcome was completion of care services or referred services, reported in seven studies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review did not search gray literature, so unpublished or ongoing programs may be missing. Only six of the 14 included studies were primary interventional studies; the rest were secondary analyses or other designs, so this paper cannot show how well navigation works. No studies were found for noncancerous gynecologic conditions, despite that being part of the review's aim. Six studies delivered navigation alongside other interventions, so the review cannot separate navigation's own contribution. The review was a scoping review, not a systematic review of effectiveness, so it did not combine results or compare programs directly.
Declared interests
The author declared no conflict of interest and reported no funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that patient navigation improves maternal or gynecologic outcomes. The review mapped 14 studies, including secondary analyses and cohort designs, did not test whether navigation improves outcomes, and found no programs for noncancerous gynecologic conditions.