Patient Navigators

Patient Navigators are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with lived experience of kidney disease and transplantation, with the job of helping other kidney patients understand and navigate the complex kidney health pathway. 

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Why is it important?

Kidney disease disproportionately impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, yet treatment access and outcomes are not optimal due to the complex and culturally unsafe pathways to transplantation. 

Patient Navigator programs in South Australia and the Northern Territory are accepted by Community as a culturally safe way to improve access to the transplant waitlist. However, these programs currently operate independently across two jurisdictions that share one transplantation unit (Royal Adelaide Hospital). 

Existing Patient Navigators have identified that the coordination of programs is required to ensure sustainability and continuity of care from renal sites through to the transplant unit.