Bringing conceptualizations of the health advocacy competence across the continuum of medical education together: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Oosthoek Wilma RW , Cecilio-Fernandes Dario , Engel Maarten FM , van Prooijen Lars T , Otto Suzie J , Woltman Andrea M 
Published: December 2024

Introduction

Health Advocacy (HA) is acknowledged as a core competence in medical education. However, varying and sometimes conflicting conceptualizations of HA exists, making it challenging to integrate the competence consistently. While this diversity highlight the need for a deeper understanding of HA conceptualizations, a comprehensive analysis across the continuum of medical education is absent in the literature. This protocol has been developed to clarify the conceptual dimensions of the HA competence in literature as applied to medical education.

Methods and analysis

The review will be conducted in line with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A comprehensive literature search was developed and already carried out in eight academic databases and Google Scholar, without restrictions on publication date, geography or language. Articles that describe the HA role among students and physicians that receive or provide medical education will be eligible for inclusion. Two independent reviewers will independently complete title and abstract screening, prior to full-text review of selected articles and data extraction on the final set. A descriptive-analytical approach will be applied for summarizing the data.

Ethics and dissemination

This scoping review does not involve human participants, as all evidence is sourced from publicly available databases. Therefore, ethical approval is not required for this study. The findings from this scoping review will be disseminated through submission to a high-quality peer-reviewed journal and presented at academic conferences. By clarifying the conceptualizations of HA, this review aims to contribute to a shared narrative that will strengthen the foundation for integrating the HA role into medical education.

Trial registration number

A preliminary version of this protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) on 9 December 2024, and can be accessed at the following link: osf.io/6f94y.

Article Summary

Strengths and limitations of this study

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This review will maintain consistency and meet the quality standards established by other scoping reviews by adhering to the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and following to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension checklist specifically designed for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR).

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Two independent reviewers will conduct the title and abstract screening, full text screening and data extraction, including pilot exercises, to enhance the systematic rigor of the screening process and increase the reliability of the results.

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The search strategy is systematically developed in collaboration with a medical librarian, who also serves as a co-author on this project.

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This review ensures inclusivity by avoiding language restrictions, designing data visualizations for colorblind readers, and committing to open-access resources to align with FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) principles.

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This review aims to pave the way toward a shared understanding of the health advocacy competence in medical education. However, while it contributes valuable insights to the discourse, it does not possess the capacity to inform policy or practice changes in the field.