Exploring the Role of Peer Health Navigators in the Australian Health System: A Qualitative Interview Study

IF 3.2 3区医学 Q2 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Health Expectations Pub Date : 2025-10-08 DOI:10.1111/hex.70453

Natali Cvetanovska, Simone Said, Rebecca L. Jessup

{"title":"Exploring the Role of Peer Health Navigators in the Australian Health System: A Qualitative Interview Study","authors":"Natali Cvetanovska, Simone Said, Rebecca L. Jessup","doi":"10.1111/hex.70453","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>Peer health navigators (PHNs) work with their own communities to provide health navigation support and connect with patients through shared experience and identity. The aim of this study was to explore the role of PHNs in the Australian health system from the perspective of managers and experts, with a focus on understanding how to build and sustain this workforce in Australia.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>Individuals who employ and manage PHNs, as well as subject matter experts in the navigation field from a range of health and academic organisations across Australia, participated in semi-structured interviews. A descriptive qualitative approach based on naturalistic inquiry was used to analyse the interview data. Themes were framed around an adapted socio-ecological model using four levels: individual, interpersonal, organisational and societal (combined community and policy).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Seventeen themes were identified within the four levels of the adapted socio-ecological model: individual (personal attributes, knowledge and skills, lived experience), interpersonal (boundary setting: professional, boundary setting: professional meets personal, boundary setting: self-care, supervision and debriefing), organisational (recruitment, qualifications and prerequisites, clear job description and expectations, training, role duties and tasks) and societal (value of peer navigators in Australia, government support, funding, strategic approach to workforce planning, workforce governance).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusion</h3>\n \n <p>PHNs are a valuable part of the Australian health system. A cohesive, strategic, national approach is required to ensure the development of the workforce and the sustainability of programs and allow for navigators to be embedded within the Australian health system.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Patient or Public Contribution</h3>\n \n <p>This study is part of a larger project that developed formal education and training courseware materials for health navigators in Australia. The materials were co-designed with patients, managers and subject matter experts. In this paper, we sought the perspective from managers and experts across Australia who work with diverse groups of patients.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":55070,"journal":{"name":"Health Expectations","volume":"28 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hex.70453","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Health Expectations","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hex.70453","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Peer health navigators (PHNs) work with their own communities to provide health navigation support and connect with patients through shared experience and identity. The aim of this study was to explore the role of PHNs in the Australian health system from the perspective of managers and experts, with a focus on understanding how to build and sustain this workforce in Australia.

Methods

Individuals who employ and manage PHNs, as well as subject matter experts in the navigation field from a range of health and academic organisations across Australia, participated in semi-structured interviews. A descriptive qualitative approach based on naturalistic inquiry was used to analyse the interview data. Themes were framed around an adapted socio-ecological model using four levels: individual, interpersonal, organisational and societal (combined community and policy).

Results

Seventeen themes were identified within the four levels of the adapted socio-ecological model: individual (personal attributes, knowledge and skills, lived experience), interpersonal (boundary setting: professional, boundary setting: professional meets personal, boundary setting: self-care, supervision and debriefing), organisational (recruitment, qualifications and prerequisites, clear job description and expectations, training, role duties and tasks) and societal (value of peer navigators in Australia, government support, funding, strategic approach to workforce planning, workforce governance).

Conclusion

PHNs are a valuable part of the Australian health system. A cohesive, strategic, national approach is required to ensure the development of the workforce and the sustainability of programs and allow for navigators to be embedded within the Australian health system.

Patient or Public Contribution

This study is part of a larger project that developed formal education and training courseware materials for health navigators in Australia. The materials were co-designed with patients, managers and subject matter experts. In this paper, we sought the perspective from managers and experts across Australia who work with diverse groups of patients.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

探索同伴健康导航员在澳大利亚卫生系统中的作用：一项定性访谈研究。

背景：同伴健康导航员（phn）与自己的社区合作，提供健康导航支持，并通过共享经验和身份与患者建立联系。本研究的目的是从管理者和专家的角度探讨phn在澳大利亚卫生系统中的作用，重点是了解如何在澳大利亚建立和维持这一劳动力。方法：雇用和管理phn的个人，以及来自澳大利亚各地一系列卫生和学术组织的导航领域的主题专家，参加了半结构化访谈。采用基于自然主义调查的描述性定性方法对访谈数据进行分析。主题围绕一个适应的社会生态模型，使用四个层面：个人、人际、组织和社会（结合社区和政策）。结果：在适应社会生态模型的四个层次中确定了17个主题：个人（个人属性，知识和技能，生活经验），人际(边界设置：专业，边界设置：专业与个人相遇，边界设置；自我照顾，监督和汇报)，组织（招聘，资格和先决条件，明确的工作描述和期望，培训，角色职责和任务）和社会（澳大利亚同行导航的价值，政府支持，资金，劳动力规划的战略方法，劳动力治理）。结论：phn是澳大利亚卫生系统的重要组成部分。需要一个有凝聚力的、战略性的、全国性的方法来确保劳动力的发展和项目的可持续性，并允许导航员嵌入澳大利亚卫生系统。患者或公众贡献：本研究是为澳大利亚健康导航员开发正规教育和培训课件材料的大型项目的一部分。这些材料是与患者、管理人员和主题专家共同设计的。在本文中，我们从澳大利亚各地与不同患者群体合作的管理人员和专家那里寻求观点。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Health Expectations 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

9.40%

发文量

251

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Health Expectations promotes critical thinking and informed debate about all aspects of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in health and social care, health policy and health services research including: • Person-centred care and quality improvement • Patients'' participation in decisions about disease prevention and management • Public perceptions of health services • Citizen involvement in health care policy making and priority-setting • Methods for monitoring and evaluating participation • Empowerment and consumerism • Patients'' role in safety and quality • Patient and public role in health services research • Co-production (researchers working with patients and the public) of research, health care and policy Health Expectations is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal publishing original research, review articles and critical commentaries. It includes papers which clarify concepts, develop theories, and critically analyse and evaluate specific policies and practices. The Journal provides an inter-disciplinary and international forum in which researchers (including PPIE researchers) from a range of backgrounds and expertise can present their work to other researchers, policy-makers, health care professionals, managers, patients and consumer advocates.