LGBTQ2S+ allyship
Definition and application in healthcare
A scoping review is underway to identify the definition and application of allyship specifically concerning LGBTQ2S+ communities within healthcare settings across English-speaking nations such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Allyship, originating from historical contexts like the LGBT rights movement, has gained traction in social justice circles and diversity initiatives. Despite the emergence of allyship as a prominent concept, its interpretation and utilisation within healthcare, especially in catering to LGBTQ2S+ individuals, remain unclear.
The scoping review aims to explore how healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, understand and operationalise allyship in their interactions and support for LGBTQ2S+ communities.
Given the absence of systematic reviews or scoping studies on this evolving concept in healthcare, this review adopts a scoping approach to comprehensively map and synthesise existing evidence.
By examining literature from various healthcare contexts in English-speaking nations, the review endeavours to elucidate diverse perspectives, applications, and potential implications of allyship within healthcare practice and further drive informed research and practice enhancements.
The scoping review holds potential in fostering a clearer understanding of allyship's role in healthcare, potentially enriching practices to better support and advocate for LGBTQ2S+ individuals, thereby contributing to more inclusive and equitable healthcare environments.
The protocol is available in the December 2023 issue of JBI Evidence Synthesis:
Handlovsky, Ingrid; Marcellus, Lenora; Newton, Lorelei; Zakher, Bernadette; Mussell, Jessica
JBI Evidence Synthesis. 21(12):2429-2437, December 2023