Interviews to Assess a Peer Health Navigator Service for People Who Are Transgender or Gender Diverse

People who are transgender or gender diverse (PTGD) often experience difficulties navigating the health care system due to a variety of factors such as lack of knowledgeable and/or culturally competent clinicians, discrimination, and structural and/or socioeconomic barriers. We sought to determine whether a peer health navigator service in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan helped connect transgender and gender-diverse clients and health care practitioners (HCPs) to resources, and how this service changed their health care experiences.

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 clients and 9 HCPs. Interview transcripts were then analyzed by researchers using an interpretative phenomenological approach, with qualitative data analysis software.

The most prevalent theme that emerged from interview data, from both clients and HCPs, was support for the navigators' work and a desire that the service should continue. It was reinforced by 3 subthemes: the importance that the navigators were PTGD, the ability of the navigators to connect people to services and reliable sources of information, and their skill in directly supporting clients. A fourth subtheme, primarily found among clients, was the navigators' ability to provide connections to affirming mental health care.

Clients and HCPs alike emphasized that the navigator's lived experience was invaluable and allowed them to empathize with PTGD and provide support. Furthermore, the navigators acted as a direct connection to health care services, which helped improve access for clients. Our findings underscore the need for navigator positions to become permanent within the provincial health system to improve the health care experiences of PTGD in Saskatchewan.