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Healthcare disparities in pediatric neurosurgery: a scoping review
Krisna Maddy1, Karen Eliahu1, Jean-Paul Bryant1
11Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
Insights
This scoping review highlights a significant lack of research on pediatric neurosurgical healthcare disparities, despite a recent increase in publications. More studies are needed to understand and address these critical inequities in care for children.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Public Health
- Health Equity
Background:
- Healthcare disparities in neurosurgery are a growing concern.
- Understanding these disparities is crucial for optimizing care for pediatric patients.
- Existing literature on pediatric neurosurgical healthcare disparities is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a scoping review of existing literature on pediatric neurosurgical healthcare disparities.
- To identify and map the current body of knowledge in this field.
- To understand the state of research on pediatric neurosurgical inequities.
Main Methods:
- Adherence to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.
- Systematic database searches using terms 'pediatric neurosurgical disparities' and 'pediatric neurosurgical inequities'.
- Searches conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases.
Main Results:
- An initial search yielded 366 articles; after removing duplicates and screening, 33 articles were included in the final review.
- A significant number of articles (168) were excluded based on inclusion/exclusion criteria.
- Results were stratified by disparity type for detailed analysis.
Conclusions:
- There has been a modest increase in publications on pediatric neurosurgical healthcare disparities recently.
- A significant scarcity of information persists regarding neurosurgical healthcare disparities overall.
- Further research is critically needed, particularly focusing on the pediatric population to address knowledge gaps.
Objective:
The aim of this scoping review was to identify relevant articles that have contributed to the body of knowledge describing pediatric neurosurgical healthcare disparities. Identifying healthcare disparities in pediatric neurosurgery is essential to understanding how to best provide care for this unique patient population. Although it is undoubtedly important to increase the knowledge of pediatric neurosurgical healthcare disparities, it is also important to understand the current state of the literature.
Methods:
This scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The search terms "pediatric neurosurgical disparities" and "pediatric neurosurgical inequities" were entered into the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Embase.
Results:
The initial database search returned a total of 366 results from the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. One hundred thirty-seven duplicates were removed, and the remaining articles were screened by title and abstract. Articles were excluded on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of the remaining 229 articles, 168 were excluded. Sixty-one full-text articles were then examined for eligibility, and 28 did not reach the specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The remaining 33 articles were included for final review. The results of the reviewed studies were stratified on the basis of disparity type.
Conclusions:
Although there has been an increase in the number of publications discussing pediatric neurosurgical healthcare disparities within the last decade, there still remains a scarcity of information regarding healthcare disparities in neurosurgery. Furthermore, less information exists that specifically addresses healthcare disparities in the pediatric population.
