Saskatchewan co-design study identifies content for a healthcare training toolkit for queer older adults

A qualitative Double Diamond design study conducted with queer older adults and healthcare professionals in Saskatchewan identified three themes to guide an educational toolkit for care of queer older adults: relational ontologies, institutionalized othering and self-protective behaviours. The toolkit remains under development, and the study did not test its effectiveness or measure changes in professional competence or patient outcomes.

According to the abstract published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the researchers used the Double Diamond human-centred design framework, which has four phases: discover, define, develop and deliver. They conducted two co-design workshops with queer older adults and healthcare professionals. Activities included storytelling, identifying barriers and generating solutions. Researchers analyzed transcripts, field notes and participant materials using inductive analysis, then associated codes with phenomena described in earlier literature and renamed them to align with existing terminology. The abstract does not report workshop participant counts, recruitment procedures or detailed measures of representation.

The first theme, relational ontologies, described how queer older adults’ health experiences are shaped by relationships, inclusive language, visibility and recognition of chosen family. The second, institutionalized othering, addressed how heteronormative policies, assumptions and educational gaps can marginalize queer identities and relationships within healthcare systems. The third, self-protective behaviours, captured strategies used by queer older adults to manage disclosure, assess safety and protect themselves from anticipated discrimination. These themes represent the study’s reported analysis rather than measured effects of a training intervention.

The authors said the findings are informing core content areas for an educational toolkit currently in development. Proposed areas include inclusive communication, chosen family and affirming interpersonal care under relational ontologies; structural stigma, heteronormative policy critique and system-level inclusion under institutionalized othering; and disclosure-sensitive practice, trust-building and reducing barriers to safe engagement under self-protective behaviours. They stated that the planned toolkit is grounded in lived experience and design best practices and is intended to enhance healthcare professionals’ preparedness and advance equity in care. Because the published evidence supplied here is limited to the abstract, the study’s full methods, workshop materials, detailed analysis and any limitations beyond the absence of an intervention evaluation cannot be assessed.

Subject of Research: Co-design of healthcare professional education for queer older adult care

Article Title: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Understand About Queer Older Adult Care Experiences: A Double Diamond Design Study

Article References: Hall, S., Code, D., Dyck, D., Rabari, D., & Hubbard Murdoch, N. (2026). What Healthcare Professionals Need to Understand About Queer Older Adult Care Experiences: A Double Diamond Design Study. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-026-10800-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s11606-026-10800-0

Keywords: queer older adults, healthcare professionals, educational toolkit, human-centred design, co-design workshops, inclusive care, chosen family, healthcare education, Saskatchewan, qualitative research, Healthcare, Professionals