ReviewBundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz2026
[Characteristics and effectiveness of healthcare navigators in innovation fund projects: a scoping review].
Review in Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- [The role of family navigators in maternity clinics in the continued care of families].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionIndividuals with complex healthcare needs, such as those with chronic and multiple conditions, require continuous, cross-sectoral care. However, an increasingly complex healthcare system, characterized by a strict separation between outpatient and inpatient care, hampers continuity of care and contributes to overuse, underuse, and misuse of services. Healthcare navigators ("Gesundheitslotsen") aim to address these challenges by supporting affected individuals in navigating the healthcare system.
methodsThis scoping review provides an overview of the target populations, roles, and qualifications of navigators as well as the legal framework and effectiveness of navigators studied in projects funded by the German Innovation Fund (New Forms of Care) since 2016. All projects concerning navigators listed in the Innovation Fund database with a project report available as of 1 April 2025 were included in the analysis.
resultsA total of 31 navigator projects were identified, addressing a wide range of target groups. The most frequently targeted populations included individuals in challenging life situations (n = 10) and with cardiovascular diseases (n = 5), mental or neurological disorders (n = 5), and metabolic conditions (n = 3). Across all projects, 153 distinct endpoints were evaluated. In most cases, no effect was observed. Statistically significant positive effects were most frequently reported for patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) (n = 21), process indicators (n = 19), and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) (n = 10). Negative effects were primarily observed in health economic outcomes, particularly in terms of increased costs (n = 5). DISCUSSION: Standardizing reporting on pilot projects, concisely describing activities of patient navigators, and making greater use of impact models could help to improve understanding of the effectiveness of patient navigators in the future.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.