From Experience to a Learning Health System: Peer-to-Peer Perspectives and Implications for Healthcare Navigation in Alberta, Canada

Fakhriyya Aghabayli^1*Ingrid Nielssen^1,2Luza Zapata-Cardona¹Safa Ahmed¹Chisom Ezemanahi¹Sukhwant Parmar¹Boman Fahimi¹Maryem Hamid Khan¹Huda Hamid Khan¹Naxielli Mendez Muniz¹Ugo Osigwe¹Shaziah Zaidi¹Xingye Shi¹Kiran Nabil¹Paul Fairie^1,2Maria Jose Santana^1,2

• ¹Alberta Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Support Unit, Calgary, Canada
• ²University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

Background Healthcare navigation services help individuals access timely and appropriate care within complex health systems, particularly those facing systemic and equity-related barriers. Understanding navigation experiences is essential to addressing service gaps and improving health outcomes. This study sought to examine lived experiences of navigation in Alberta to identify inequities within existing programs and to provide recommendations for strengthening person-centred navigation within a learning health system framework. Materials This is a qualitative, peer-to-peer, patient-oriented research (POR) study. The study design followed the PaCER process of SET-COLLECT-REFLECT. The SET phase engaged patient and public partners in discussions to co-design the research question and the study design. The COLLECT phase included focus groups and interviews with adult residents of Alberta who had been navigated (n=13) and those who had experience as healthcare navigators (n=13) in the Alberta healthcare system. The data were thematically analyzed identifying key themes and subthemes. REFLECT phase run two focus groups with COLLECT participants for member-checking. This approach yielded the recommendations. Results Out of the 26 participants over 75% were female (77% Navigated, 75% Navigators) aged 41-50 years old. Half of navigators provided their service for more than 5 years and received a specialized training in healthcare navigation. Themes identified: (1) participants situation and circumstances, (2) navigation experience, and (3) participants perspective; (4) need for healthcare navigators, (5) navigator role, (6) current best practices and challenges, and (7) training and support. Five recommendations included expanding the scope and enhancing awareness of navigation programs with personalized approach and embedded evaluation, developing and formalizing navigation training programs. Conclusion This study identified gaps and opportunities in healthcare navigation programs from both navigator and navigated perspectives. The findings provide patient-centred recommendations to strengthen navigation services, and their integration into Alberta's learning health system that can enhance equitable access, healthcare experiences, and outcomes.