Defining and characterizing the role of the liaison in supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ people to navigate health-service settings: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This scoping review seeks to identify what is known about the role of liaisons who support two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) people receiving care in health-service settings, and specifically how the 2SLGBTQIA+ liaison role is defined and characterized.

Introduction: To mitigate the stigma and discrimination experienced by 2SLGBTQIA+ people in health-service settings, a 2SLBGTQIA+ liaison position was created at a Canadian hospital. A comprehensive understanding of the 2SLGBTQIA+ liaison role is integral to the implementation of 2SLGBTQIA+ liaison positions in health-service settings globally; however, a thorough understanding of the role remains unclear.

Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will consider literature that discusses the role of liaisons supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in health-service settings. No limitations will be placed on publication date, age, geography, liaison position title, or the professional, disciplinary, or educational background of the liaison.

Methods: This review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Databases to be searched will include MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), APA PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), LGBTQ+ Source (EBSCOhost), Scopus, Web of Science, as well as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for gray literature. Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts, and full-text articles; discrepancies will be resolved by consensus or through a third reviewer. Data will be extracted using an extraction tool developed by the research team. Findings will be presented in tabular/diagram format along with a narrative summary to highlight key themes related to the review question.

Review registration: Open Science Framework osf.io/rkx6j.