The nurse navigator collaborates with the specialist and his team. He is the front-line contact for patients who choose brachytherapy to treat early-stage prostate cancer.
Beginning with the first meeting with a newly-diagnosed prostate cancer patient, and well before treatment starts, the nurse navigator makes sure that the patient properly understands the treatment he has chosen. He answers the patient’s questions and concerns and makes sure that the patient gets the support he needs at the right time.
At the end of the treatment, the nurse navigator:
- makes sure that the patient properly understands the importance of long-term follow-up by his family physician;
- explains to the patient how to start the process;
- manages short-, medium- and long-term side effects.
Patients can contact the brachytherapy nurse navigator directly by telephone, in person or by e-mail as needed and at their convenience.
