Provider preparedness to care for sexual and gender minority adolescent and young adult cancer patients: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the current scoping review is to explore knowledge and gaps in the literature on the preparedness of health care providers (HCPs) to deliver cancer care that addresses the needs of sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients diagnosed with cancer between ages 15-39 years.

METHODS

We conducted two comprehensive searches on OVID MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL in February 2022 and June 2024; examined the empirical literature on HCPs who treat SGM AYA cancer patients; characterized existing research; and evaluated each contribution.

RESULTS

A total of thirteen articles were included in the final review. The reviewed studies varied widely in sample sizes ( = 6 to  = 1253), reflecting different methodological approaches: quantitative cross-sectional ( = 3), qualitative ( = 4), and mixed methods (n = 6).

INNOVATION

The current scoping review piloted an innovative Quality Assessment (QA) Tool of Foundational Progress for SGM AYA Research to assess the quality of evidence, providing a new framework for evaluating and guiding future research.

CONCLUSION

The existing literature on provider preparedness to care for SGM AYA cancer patients is limited. Future studies are critically needed to improve providers' ability to holistically respond to the unique health care needs and concerns of this population.