ARNIS is one of the winners of the “Solutions for Communities” Campaign, a program funded by Synevo. The project we will implement over the next 6 months is called “Patient Navigator (with practice in Maternal and Child Health).”

OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT:

The objectives of this project are (1) to create a curriculum for training Patient Navigators with practice in maternal and child health, (2) to professionally train and empower 6 navigators in 3 maternity wards (selected from former parents with newborns who had extended hospital stays at birth), and (3) to advocate for the recognition of the navigator profession in maternity wards in Romania.

The project is innovative in the health sector as it adopts a best practice example from oncology and extends it to other types of chronic diseases or conditions (specifically in the field of maternal and child health).

The purpose of the Patient Navigator in maternity wards/health centers is to explain to expectant parents/parents of high-risk newborns, in understandable terms, the risks of chronic diseases developed by the expectant mother or high-risk newborns, possible diagnoses, treatment options (necessary investigations, possible negative effects of each option, treatment stages, etc.), promoting maternal and child health.

ABOUT THE PATIENT NAVIGATOR PROFESSION WITH PRACTICE IN MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

The Patient Navigator creates a link between the medical team and the family in order to ensure access to the most appropriate investigations necessary for the optimal development of all high-risk newborns.

The Patient Navigator is responsible for helping patients access the healthcare system and optimize access to the medical care services they need during assisted reproduction, high-risk pregnancy, neonatal intensive care, or pediatric monitoring. They work closely with expectant parents/families of high-risk newborns and medical service providers to ensure coordinated, multidisciplinary, individualized, and efficient care.

In March 2024, ARNIS organized the Project Presentation for 50 representatives of maternity wards, particularly doctors and nurses from Level 2 and Level 3 neonatal units. In May 2024, the recruitment of the 6 navigators who will enter the program and follow the course under the guidance of the lecturers will take place:

• Alina Comănescu – Patient Navigator with 10 years of experience
• Associate Professor Adrian Toma – Senior Neonatology Doctor, Pediatric Neurology Specialist
• Associate Professor Doctor Anca Panaitescu – Senior Obstetrics and Gynecology Doctor
• Psychologist Doctor Raluca Anton

The profession of Patient Navigator is recognized in Romania, with the ocuppational code 226922. The innovation brought by the ARNIS project is the training of specialists in patient navigation with practice in “Maternal and Child Health.”

The course lasts 5 weeks, totaling 180 hours (60 hours of theory and 120 hours of practice). The expected starting date for the course is 13.08.2024.

For more details about the project, you can contact us at [email protected].