Project 415419

While access to HIV-related healthcare - including HIV medications - is critical to prevent virologic failure and death, trans women living with HIV (WLWH) experience differences in their access to HIV-related and other forms of healthcare. Classism, racism, and HIV, trans, sex work, and substance use stigma may all negatively contribute to the experiences of trans WLWH in accessing care. Recognizing the complicated factors that create barriers for WLWH in accessing healthcare, we developed a Women-centred HIV Care (WCHC) Model using data from the Canadian HIV Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS). Although CHIWOS included trans women and nonbinary and two-spirit participants, the WCHC Model requires further consideration to address the needs of trans WLWH and make healthcare better for them. Therefore, we aim to conduct focus groups (FGs) with 48 trans WLWH in British Columbia and Ontario to explore how the WCHC model can be adapted to address the needs and barriers they experience. FGs will be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes will be used to inform the development of a Trans WCHC Model and make recommendations for toolkits to prepare healthcare providers, community service workers, and trans WLWH themselves to use this model of care. The results from this study will be shared with all relevant stakeholders, including trans WLWH, healthcare providers, policy makers, and researchers through the use of community-based research strategies and networks that will support our knowledge translation activities. Our study has the potential to positively impact the health and wellbeing of trans WLWH by adapting and defining the WCHC Model using feedback from trans WLWH themselves. By working together in a group of diverse genders including trans women, we may collectively design a Trans WCHC Model that can be used to facilitate integrated, comprehensive, competent, and affirming care for trans WLWH.