Influence of nurse navigation on wait times for breast cancer care in a Canadian regional cancer center

Abstract Background The wait times for breast cancer care in our region do not meet acceptable benchmarks. We implemented the Interior Breast Rapid Access Investigation and Diagnosis (IB-RAPID) nurse navigation program to address this issue. Methods The IB-RAPID prospective database was reviewed for patients entering the program between April 1, 2011 and April 30, 2012 (2011/2012 cohort), and was compared with patients from the same area in 2010. The main end point was the time between the 1st diagnostic imaging test and the surgery. Multiple linear regression was performed to investigate factors influencing the wait times. Results The wait times decreased with the introduction of IB-RAPID (59 vs 48 days; median). Stage of disease, total number of biopsies, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use influenced wait times. MRI significantly delayed surgical intervention in both groups with those not having an MRI having a shorter wait time to surgery (68.5 vs 57.6 days; mean) in 2011/2012. Conclusion The implementation of nurse navigation for patients with breast cancer appears to be effective at reducing the wait times for surgical treatment.