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A burgeoning number of studies are examining pediatric health equity research, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). But if not done right, health equity research can do a disservice, perpetuating biases and wrong assumptions that actually exacerbate inequities.
To guide EDI-related studies, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Boston Children's Hospital (through Tina Young Poussaint, MD, and Susan Kornetsky, MPH) asked the hospital's Office of Health Equity and Inclusion to develop a review process.
In 2022, a group led by Snehal Shah, MD, MPH, Sabra Katz-Wise, Ph.D., and Valerie Ward, MD, MPH, launched an EDI research review process in collaboration with the Boston Children's Sandra L. Fenwick Institute for Pediatric Health Equity and Inclusion.
This led to the formation of an EDI Research Review Committee. This group includes subject matter experts in health equity, health equity research, community-engaged research, research engaging underrepresented and medically underserved populations, health services research, data analysis, and legal expertise.
Over a 20-month period, the committee reviewed 78 protocols for EDI-related studies and went on to establish a standardized EDI review process, which was published recently in Pediatrics.
Reviewing Proposed Pediatric Health Research Through an Equity Lens
The committee considered all phases of each proposed study, from design to dissemination of the results. Ahead of each review, it asked research teams to consider EDI-related questions such as: "What underlying biases or assumptions about the identified population might you be bringing to this research project?"
Research teams were also asked to submit a form answering additional EDI-related questions such as:
- How do you plan to engage the patient population, study participants, and/or community?
- What patient-centered barriers and/or health system-barriers might exist for recruitment or participation in your project, and how do you plan to address these barriers?
- What is your plan for disseminating your research findings back to the patient population, study participants, and/or community?
Read the full article about pediatric health equity research by Nancy Fliesler at Medical Xpress.