Contemporary accounts and future directions for decolonising global health: A scoping review

Though much has been written about the importance of decolonising global health, there is a lack of consensus around how it should be defined, conceptualised and actioned, and who has responsibility to do so. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, we undertook a scoping review of the decolonising global health literature in order to explore the meaning of decolonising global health, to identify examples of best practice, and to find out how those writing about the issue see the future of the movement.

Scoping review.

We searched databases (Embase, EBSCO Global Health, Medline and Scopus) for peer-reviewed and grey literature with titles and abstracts, and then full texts double-screened by authors to identify papers for inclusion. Our search strategy focussed on opinions and discourse using terms broadly linked to decolonising global health. Data, including conclusions and recommendations, were extracted and results presented as a narrative synthesis of included papers to provide a contemporary account of the decolonising global health agenda.

Included papers (n = 129) were predominantly commentary or opinion pieces (n = 95). Authors of the included papers were affiliated with institutions predominantly from high income countries including the USA (n = 53) and UK (n = 30). Included papers presented structures and of definitions for decolonising global health, described the historical, colonial influence on global health, explored power imbalances in current global health structures, and made a number of suggestions as to how to address these imbalances.

Despite the clear imperative in the literature to take action, there is no clear consensus on where to start. Drawing from the findings of our review, we conclude with a set of recommended approaches and next steps for decolonising global health, focussing on epistemic justice, partnership working, the structure of global health, and individual duty.