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. 2024 Jan;44(1):117-127.
doi: 10.1177/15394492231161283. Epub 2023 Apr 17.

Occupational Therapists in Patient Navigation: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Kristina M Kokorelias  1   2 , Hardeep Singh  2 , Alexandra N Thompson  2 , Amy E Nesbitt  2 , Jessica E Shiers-Hanley  2 , Michelle L A Nelson  2   3 , Sander L Hitzig  1   2
Affiliations

Occupational Therapists in Patient Navigation: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Kristina M Kokorelias et al. OTJR (Thorofare N J). 2024 Jan.

Abstract

This review seeks to understand the literature on patient navigator programs (PNPs) that employ occupational therapists (OTs), including the role (conceptualization), functions (operationalization) of OTs who work as patient navigators (PNs) and the settings and populations they serve. This review also mapped the role of PNs to the 2021 Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada. Scoping review methodology by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) was employed. Data were analyzed thematically and numerically to identify frequent patterns. Ten articles were included. Within PNPs, OTs worked in hospitals and communities, but their role was rarely well-defined. Five competency domains (i.e., communication and collaboration, culture, equity and justice, excellence in practice, professional responsibility, and engagement with the profession) were evident in existing PNPs that included OTs. This review supports the increasing interest in OTs as PNs by demonstrating the alignment between the OT competencies and roles and functions of OTs working within PNPs.

Keywords: chronic illness; continuity of care; coordination; occupational therapy; patient navigation; scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA 2020 Flow Diagram for New Systematic Reviews Which Included Searches of Databases Registers and Other Sources. Note. PRISMA = Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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