ACCESSing Healthcare and Preventive Services: An Explorative Study of a Co-designed Human Navigation Targeting People with Multimorbidity (ACCESS)

People with multimorbidity (MM) often have complex healthcare needs. They are expected to coordinate services and information from multiple healthcare professionals (HCP) emphasising the importance of healthcare systems being responsive to their needs. MM is associated with low health literacy skills which are necessary to access and utilise healthcare systems – especially during a pandemic moving consultations online. Human navigator models attempt to reduce these barriers by bridging gaps in service and communication across sectors based on the needs of people with MM. However, limited knowledge exits about such models in terms of effectiveness and practice integration.
This research project (ACCESS) protocol presents an explorative study of a human navigator intervention aiming to improve access to and utilisation of healthcare and preventive services across sectors for people with MM between 18 and 65 years of age living on a remote Danish island. The intervention is co-developed with people with MM, HCPs and local stakeholders and based on a comprehensive needs assessment.
Using mixed methods and the framework of realistic evaluation, ACCESS explores the implementation of the navigator intervention and what works, how it works and for whom it works. Objectives are to explore improvements in (digital) health literacy skills, perceptions and intervention benefits for people with MM, and system facilitators and barriers of health literacy responsiveness.
By involving people with MM, the local community and HCPs across sectors, ACCESS aims to improve the understanding of human navigation models in Danish healthcare. Findings of the present study may inform and enable healthcare systems to be more responsive to diverse needs and preferences and promote equitable access for people with MM.