• Health information equity: rebalancing healthcare collections for racial diversity in UK public service contexts

    Author(s):
    David Bawden (see profile) , Grace O'Driscoll
    Date:
    2022
    Group(s):
    CityLIS
    Subject(s):
    Library science, Great Britain, Critical race theory, Health--Information services
    Item Type:
    Article
    Permanent URL:
    https://doi.org/10.17613/8s82-q021
    Abstract:
    COVID-19 illustrated health disparities experienced by racially minoritised people, with heightened risks faced by Black and South Asian communities lending the issue transparency and urgency. Despite efforts to decolonise medical education, deficits in racial representation in research and resources remain. This study investigates the potential and imperatives for healthcare information services to contribute to health equity through their collections. The literature analysis explores collection management, decolonisation, social justice in librarianship, and Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a framework for change in information contexts. A survey of UK National Health Service (NHS) librarians provides a snapshot of awareness of health information inequity. Semi-structured interviews explore information professionals’ experiences of anti-racism in the system. The findings indicate strong engagement with the need for equitable resources but highlight some barriers to success. Opportunities identified include potential for addressing systemic racism in collection policy, capability of information services to influence, or engage in, authorship and publishing to address gaps, and the need for race-based data standards in healthcare. Synthesis of the findings through a framework of CRT tenets illustrates the relevance and utility of CRT as a tool for pursuit of equity in information practice, scholarship, and education.
    Notes:
    Published in a special issue on Critical Race Theory
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.3233/Efi-220051
    Publisher:
    IOS Press
    Pub. Date:
    2022
    Journal:
    Education for Information
    Volume:
    38
    Issue:
    4
    Page Range:
    315 - 336
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    10 months ago
    License:
    Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives

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