Preparedness of Practicing Nurses in the Care of Sexual and Gender Diverse People in the United States: A Scoping Review

Sexual and gender diverse (SGD) people in the United States (US) experience health inequities due to societal stigma and marginalisation. The nursing workforce must provide evidence-based affirming, inclusive and culturally responsive care for SGD people to meet individual and community health needs and eliminate disparities. The purpose of this scoping review was to synthesise what is known about (1) nurses' knowledge, skills and attitudes related to caring for SGD people in the US and (2) the existence, development and evaluation of SGD-related educational offerings available to practicing nurses in the US to develop the knowledge and skills needed to promote the health and wellbeing of SGD individuals, families and communities. This review followed the scoping review methodology and PRISMA for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). In conjunction with a health librarian, an electronic literature search was conducted using PubMed, LGBT Health, CINAHL, ERIC and Health Source-Nursing. Thirty-two studies were included in this review, including quantitative and qualitative studies that sought to understand the knowledge, attitudes and clinical experiences of nurses related to the care of SGD people; studies that tested educational interventions and studies that identified educational barriers and facilitators. Major gaps in education, practice and research, as well as methodological limitations of existing studies, were noted. Nurses would benefit from expanded access to effective standardised foundational SGD-related health continuing education to help prepare them to care for diverse patient populations. Equity, inclusivity and dignity are key values of the nursing profession. It is imperative that nurses have the knowledge and skills to apply these values consistently in day-to-day professional practice across populations and settings. There is an urgent need to develop standardised, easily accessible evidence-based educational content to address nurses' knowledge of and attitudes towards caring for SGD people. This study adhered to the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. There was no patient or public contribution to this study.