Patient navigation is a client-centered approach that helps to engage people in HIV care.

Patient navigation is an intervention that promotes linkage and retention in medical care through the guidance and support of health workers known as patient navigators. The aim of patient navigation is to help patients access the healthcare system so they receive the standard of care in a timely and effective way.1 The first patient navigation program was started in 1990 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City by Dr. Harold Freeman.2 This initial program focused on improving the rates of timely diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer.2 Since then, patient navigation has been used for patients with other types of cancer as well as other diseases, including HIV. In a multi-city analysis, patients receiving navigation to HIV care reported fewer barriers to care, were more likely to have undetectable viral loads, and showed increased use of medical care at follow-up compared to baseline data.3 This article will define patient navigation and explain how the intervention is being used to promote engagement in HIV care in Louisiana through the Positive Charge initiative.