A scoping review has mapped the current state of the Indigenous Patient Navigator (IPN) role within Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. The review used established methodological framework outlined by Arskey and O’Malley, with the addition of the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. A total of 16 articles were eligible for the review, mostly originating from the US, with 1 article originating from New Zealand. No articles were identified from Australia. The term navigator was used most often in articles and was typically used when describing lay/peer roles. Professional roles were described using specific role descriptions, including social service navigation, holistic support of indigenous people, advocacy/building capacity, health assessment, administrative navigation, and outreach. Barriers and enablers addressed by IPNs were identified. The authors noted that the absence of published literature surrounding the IPN role in Australia and New Zealand was surprising, considering their similar histories of colonisation.
