Inequities in medically assisted reproduction: A scoping review

Introduction: Infertility affects one in five women in the United States and may do so regardless of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, income, or educational status. These factors, however, may play a large role in access to infertility treatments, or medically assisted reproduction (MAR). This scoping review aimed to identify gaps in research pertaining to inequities in MAR, and propose suggestions for future research directions.Methods: This review was conducted following the guidance of the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. Searches were performed in July 2022 using MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Ovid Embase, identifying articles for screening. Articles that reported on MAR inequities, published between 2016–2021 in the United States, and written in English were included. Each article’s inequity findings were analyzed, extracted, and reported. The frequencies of the inequities investigated were recorded.Results: Ninety-six articles underwent full-text screening and 66 were included in our sample. Race/ethnicity was the most commonly reported inequity. The majority of the studies focused on MAR outcomes by race/ethnicity, and many found that historically marginalized populations had worse outcomes. Since the NIH’s classification of Sexual and Gender Minorities as a health disparity population in 2016, 15 articles within our sample investigated LGBTQ+ inequities in MAR. Historically marginalized populations were less likely to use MAR or seek infertility care and findings were similar among LGBTQ+ populations. The majority of studies found positive correlations with MAR use with income and education. The least commonly studied inequities in our sample were sex or gender and rural/under-resourced populations; findings showed that men and people from rural/under-resourced populations were less likely to access MAR. Studies that examined occupational status had varying findings.Conclusion: Our study identified research gaps regarding MAR within each of the inequities examined, though some gaps were more prominent than others. We suggest that future research be targeted toward: (1) standardizing and diversifying race/ethnicity reporting regarding MAR, (2) increasing access to infertility care for LGBTQ+ populations by providing more inclusive care, (3) increasing access to infertility care for men, and (4) increasing access to MAR for rural/under-represented populations by identifying logistic challenges

Systematic Review of the Neurocognitive Effects of Drug Abuse in Women

We will systematically review the literature on the cognitive effects of illicit drug abuse to determine if there are gender differences in the nature of cognitive functioning related to drug abuse and if so, what is the current understanding as to the cause of those differences

Inequities in epilepsy: A scoping review

Background: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder with a strong presentation worldwide. It is imperative that the health inequities tied to epilepsy are assessed and accounted for. Further, it is vital that healthcare providers are familiar with such inequities to supplement appropriate care for patients. We intend to complete a scoping review of current literature surrounding health inequities in epilepsy while providing recommendations for future research.Methods: During July of 2022, we searched MEDLINE and Ovid Embase to find published articles pertaining to epilepsy and health inequities. Authors received training then screened and data extracted in a masked, duplicate manner. Studies published within the timeframe of 2011-2021 in all countries were deemed appropriate. We screened 5,325 studies for titles and abstracts, then 56 studies for full text. We evaluated the inequities of race/ethnicity, sex or gender, income, occupation status, education level, under-resourced/rural, and LGBTQ+. To summarize the data and descriptive statistics of our study, we used Stata 17.0 (StataCorp, LLC, College Station, TX).Results: We obtained a sample size of 45 studies for study inclusion. The most reported health inequities were income (18/45, 40.0%), under-resourced/rural (15/45, 33.3%), race/ethnicity (15/45, 33.3%). The least reported health inequity was LGBTQ+ (0/45, 0.0%).Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that gaps exist in literature concerning epilepsy and inequities. The inequities of income status, under-resourced/rural, and race/ethnicity were examined the most while LGBTQ+, occupation status, and sex or gender were examined the least. With the ultimate goal of more equitable and patient-centered care in mind, it is vital that future studies endeavor to fill in these determined gaps