Defining the linkage specialist role in the HIV care cascade

Abstract As stakeholders embrace the efficiency of early disease detection and linkage to care services, corresponding demand for linkage specialists necessitates a clearer understanding of what defines and differentiates this role from the similar work of social workers and epidemiologists. The purpose of the present literature review was to identify the most frequently cited duties, knowledge, skills and abilities required of linkage specialists in employment advertisements and described in peer-reviewed literature. We conducted searches using Google, MEDLINE with Full Text, Academic Search Complete, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, SocINDEX with Full Text, Social Sciences Full Text, and PubMed with MEDLINE. Two reviewers applied exclusion criteria and assessed search returns. Employment ads for linkage specialists and disease intervention specialists most often described linkage to care, client education, and maintenance of client data. The linkage specialist role can be cultivated through its roots in disease detection and programmatic development.