Developing a provincial cancer patient navigation program utilizing a quality improvement approach Part one: Designing and implementing.

In 2012, the provincial cancer agency in Alberta initiated a provincial quality improvement project to develop, implement, and evaluate a provincial navigation program spanning 15 sites across over 600,000 square kilometres. This project was selected for two years of funding (April, 2012-March 31, 2014) by the Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF) through an Enhanced Care Grant process. A series of articles has been created to capture the essence of this quality improvement project, the processes that were undertaken, the standards developed, the educational framework that guided the orientation of new navigator staff, and the outcomes that were measured. This first article in the series focuses on establishing the knowledge base that guided the development of this provincial navigation program and describing the methodology undertaken to implement the program across 15 rural and isolated urban cancer care delivery sites. The second article in this series will delve into the educational framework that was developed to guide the competency development and orientation process for the registered nurses who were hired into the newly developed cancer patient navigator roles. The third and final article will explore the outcomes that were achieved through this quality improvement project culminating with a discussion section highlighting key learnings, adaptations made, and next steps underway to broaden the scope and impact of the provincial navigation program.