Opportunities to Retrofit, Reform, and Reimagine Systematic Reviews for Racial Equity.

Abstract

Systematic reviews are used for synthesizing and summarizing published research on any given topic and population of interest. These reviews can expand knowledge within a content area but are limited by place and time values, which can perpetuate bias and systemic racism. This article reports a student's experience with conducting a systematic review on breastfeeding experiences among black birthing parents. We explore the systematic racism perpetuated by the current systematic review search process. We then use McLemore's "Retrofit, Reform, and Reimagine" framework for health equity to propose ways to increase transparency and racial equity through the systematic review process and academic mentoring.