The Use of Physiotherapy Navigators in Acute Cancer Care Settings: A Scoping Review.
Holly Edward, Nelani Paramanantharajah, Neeraja Nannapaneni and 5 others
PMID 40980519WHAT IT FOUND
Physiotherapy navigators in acute cancer care screen for mobility loss and triage patients to exercise or referrals, but no study tested whether this improves physical function or quality of life.
The role lacks a standard definition, and funding and clinician awareness were the main barriers to implementation.
Key findings
01No included study reported results on the effectiveness of physiotherapy navigation for physical function, quality of life, or fatigue over time.
02The core shared role was facilitating access to services and triaging via assessment, with most navigators tailoring exercise programs and making referrals to other health professionals.
03Lack of funding was the most common system-level barrier, while oncologist knowledge of rehabilitation scope was the main provider barrier and patient costs the primary patient-level obstacle.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
As a scoping review, no quality appraisal or quantitative synthesis was performed. Only English-language sources were included, and gray literature was limited to Google searches in three countries. The field is emerging, with most evidence coming from perspective articles and presentations rather than controlled trials. No study reported direct costs or cost-effectiveness of the navigator role. Role definitions and interventions varied widely across included sources, limiting comparability.
Declared interests
One author received an unrelated presentation honorarium from AstraZeneca. McMaster University provided nonfinancial database access. One author holds a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Research Award. Other authors declared no conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret high satisfaction rates or described screening processes as evidence that physiotherapy navigation improves physical function or quality of life. No included study measured these outcomes over time, so the effectiveness of the role remains untested.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →