A scoping review on the operationalization of intersectional health research methods in studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

The COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020 and became a global health crisis with devastating impacts. This scoping review maps the key findings of research about the pandemic that has operationalized intersectional research methods around the world. It also tracks how these studies have engaged with methodological tenets of oppression, comparison, relationality, complexity, and deconstruction.

METHODS

Our search resulted in 14,487 articles, 5164 of which were duplicates, and 9297 studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded. In total, 14 articles were included in this review. We used thematic analysis to analyse themes within this work and Misra et al. (2021) intersectional research framework to analyse the uptake of intersectional methods within such studies.

RESULTS

The research related to the COVID-19 pandemic globally is paying attention to issues around the financial impacts of the pandemic, discrimination, gendered impacts, impacts of and on social ties, and implications for mental health. We also found strong uptake of centring research in the context of oppression, but less attention is being paid to comparison, relationality, complexity, and deconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show the importance of intersectional research within public health policy formation, as well as room for greater rigour in the use of intersectional methods.

James Beall Morrison: the visionary who revolutionized the practice of dentistry

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW

For centuries, dental patients sat on makeshift contraptions or modified straight-backed chairs, which took a toll on the health of both patient and dentist. In addition, the lack of a suitable drill retarded the development of restorative dentistry, allowing minimum care for only a tiny segment of the population. One farseeing American dentist, James Beall Morrison, changed all that in the 1870s with his innovative, fully adjustable chair, which made sitdown dentistry possible. Moreover, his monumental invention of the foot-powered drill allowed dentists to place restorations that were theretofore impossible. Dentists the world over became able to treat patients more comfortably and satisfactorily, and with less stress to themselves.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

A newly discovered collection of letters in the Smithsonian Institution to Morrison from colleagues in London provides insight into how collaboration between inventor and user helped bring about great changes in the way dentistry is practiced. These letters also shed light on what dentistry was like one and one-quarter centuries ago, how far dentistry has come and what changes may be forthcoming.

Blending administrative and clinical needs: the development of a referring physician database and automatic referral letter

The development of a system to collect and verify the name of a patient's referring physician and link that to the automatic production of a referral letter and discharge summary is described.