Ontario Council of University Libraries

ObjectivesThe rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare requires robust legal safeguards to ensure safety, privacy and non-discrimination, crucial for maintaining trust. Yet, unaddressed differences in disciplinary perspectives and priorities risk impeding effective reform. This study uncovers convergences and divergences in disciplinary comprehension, prioritisation and proposed solutions to legal issues with health-AI, providing law and policymaking guidance.MethodsEmploying a scoping review methodology, we searched MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), HeinOnline Law Journal Library, Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (HeinOnline), Index to Legal Periodicals and Books (EBSCOhost), Web of Science (Core Collection), Scopus and IEEE Xplore, identifying legal issue discussions published, in English or French, from January 2012 to July 2021. Of 18 168 screened studies, 432 were included for data extraction and analysis. We mapped the legal concerns and solutions discussed by authors in medicine, law, nursing, pharmacy, other healthcare professions, public health, computer science and engineering, revealing where they agree and disagree in their understanding, prioritisation and response to legal concerns.ResultsCritical disciplinary differences were evident in both the frequency and nature of discussions of legal issues and potential solutions. Notably, innovators in computer science and engineering exhibited minimal engagement with legal issues. Authors in law and medicine frequently contributed but prioritised different legal issues and proposed different solutions.Discussion and conclusionDiffering perspectives regarding law reform priorities and solutions jeopardise the progress of health AI development. We need inclusive, interdisciplinary dialogues concerning the risks and trade-offs associated with various solutions to ensure optimal law and policy reform.

Libraries have benefitted from the extraction of Indigenous Knowledges and cultural materials through which they have sought to complete collections. This has led Indigenous communities to distrust of research and research institutions, recognizing the deep harms and exploitation of these research practices. This article undertakes a case study of the book The Sacred Scrolls of the Southern Ojibway to reveal the ways in which extractive research, publishing, and collections practices are known to Indigenous communities and are refused by them. This discussion pursues the publication and collections history of this book through the framework of refusal, an Indigenous feminist practice that asserts Indigenous Sovereignty and care practices over Knowledge. Refusal should be viewed as a generative space (Tuck and Yang 2014a) and should be taken as an invitation for libraries to question and critically evaluate the very foundational principles of our profession and practices. This article challenges three deeply held library assumptions that are revealed through refusal: (1) that extraction is inevitable, (2) that the library is the only appropriate place to steward materials, and (3) that communities should be invested in the future of the library. The call to reconceptualize extraction through refusal is essential: libraries that do not strive to be reciprocal and transformational in their relationships with Indigenous peoples will only serve as a barrier to Indigenous resurgence. Instead, we must reconceptualize librarianship practices toward a liberatory practice.

ABSTRACT This is a practical reflection on how a library cataloger can learn to create Wikidata items based on Slavic language publications, and to maintain the practice as part of the workflow. We describe our experience at the University of Toronto Robarts Library, and the path to adopting a working model for regularly contributing Wikidata items based on the cataloger’s original authority work for NACO.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive skin cancer that most commonly occurs in ultraviolet-exposed body sites. The epidemiology of MCC in different geographies and populations is not well characterized. The objective of this systematic review is to summarize evidence on the incidence, mortality and survival rates of MCC from population-based studies. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from database inception to 6 June 2023. No geographic, age or date exclusions were applied. We included population-based studies of MCC that reported the incidence, survival or mortality rate, and also considered systematic reviews. A data-charting form was created and validated to identify variables to extract. Two reviewers then independently charted the data for each included study with patient characteristics, and estimates of incidence rate, mortality rate, and survival rate and assessed the quality of included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for Prevalence studies, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews. We abstracted age-, sex-, stage- and race-stratified outcomes, and synthesized comparisons between strata narratively and using vote counting. We assessed the certainty of evidence for those comparisons using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessments, Developments and Evaluations framework. We identified 11 472 citations, of which 52 studies from 24 countries met our inclusion criteria. Stage I and the head and neck were the most frequently reported stage and location at diagnosis. The incidence of MCC is increasing over time (high certainty), with the highest reported incidences reported in southern hemisphere countries [Australia (2.5 per 100 000); New Zealand (0.96 per 100 000) (high certainty)]. Male patients generally had higher incidence rates compared with female patients (high certainty), although there were some variations over time periods. Survival rates varied, with lower survival and/or higher mortality associated with male sex (moderate certainty), higher stage at diagnosis (moderate-to-high certainty), older age (moderate certainty), and immunosuppression (low-to-moderate certainty). MCC is increasing in incidence and may increase further given the ageing population of many countries. The prognosis of MCC is poor, particularly for male patients, those who are immunosuppressed, and patients diagnosed at higher stages or at an older age.

Despite the high prevalence of stroke among South Asian communities in high-income countries, a comprehensive understanding of their unique experiences and needs after stroke is lacking. This study aimed to synthesize the literature examining the experiences and needs of South Asian community members impacted by stroke and their family caregivers residing in high-income countries. A scoping review methodology was utilized. Data for this review were identified from seven databases and hand-searching reference lists of included studies. Study characteristics, purpose, methods, participant characteristics, results, limitations, recommendations, and conclusions were extracted. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. In addition, a consultative focus group exercise with six South Asian community members who had experienced a stroke and a program facilitator was conducted to inform the review interpretations. A total of 26 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Qualitative analysis identified four descriptive categories: (1) rationale for studying the South Asian stroke population (e.g., increasing South Asian population and stroke prevalence), (2) stroke-related experiences (e.g., managing community support versus stigma and caregiving expectations), (3) stroke service challenges (e.g., language barriers), and (4) stroke service recommendations to address stroke service needs (e.g., continuity of care). Several cultural factors impacted participant experiences, including cultural beliefs about illness and caregiving. Focus group participants from our consultation activity agreed with our review findings. The clinical and research recommendations identified in this review support the need for culturally appropriate services for South Asian communities across the stroke care continuum; however, more research is necessary to inform the design and structure of culturally appropriate stroke service delivery models.

IntroductionBreast feeding is recommended for the first year of a baby’s life due to numerous benefits for both the child and mother. After returning from maternity leave, surgical trainees face extensive barriers to breast feeding and tend to terminate breast feeding earlier than guideline recommendations. The aim of this scoping review is to assess existing breastfeeding policies for surgical trainees at the national level including postgraduate medical education offices, provincial resident unions and individual surgical programmes.Methods and analysisA modified Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework will be used. Specifically, (1) identifying the research question/s and (2) relevant studies from electronic databases and grey literature, (3) identifying and (4) selecting studies with independent verification, and (5) collating, summarising, and reporting data while having ongoing consultation between experts throughout the process. Experts will include a lactation consultant (AGB), a human resource leader (JI), a health information specialist (ES), two independent coders (NZ, LR) and a board-certified surgeon (JD). This work will take place as of December 2020 and be carried out to completion in 2021.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval will not be sought for this scoping review. Research findings will be disseminated through publications, presentations and meetings with relevant stakeholders.

A Review of: Sun, H., Liu, Y., Wang, Z., & Zuo, W. (2019). Embedded librarianship in China: Based on a survey of university libraries. The Library Quarterly, 89(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.1086/700663 Abstract Objective – To determine the extent to which embedded librarianship is understood and implemented with a focus on service models, best practices, and barriers. Design – Survey questionnaire with follow up interviews. Setting – Provincial and ministerial university libraries in China. Subjects – Subject or liaison librarians from the 84 institutions with science and technology “information searching and evaluation centres” called S&TNS (p. 56). Methods – The authors identified potential participants through the eligible institutions’ library websites or by contacting the library’s managers. Then they randomly selected three librarians (n = 252) from each library to be invited to participate. 56 responded from 41 unique institutions. When respondents indicated that their library had embedded library services, the authors contacted them for follow up interviews. Main results – Results of the questionnaire revealed that most respondents were unclear about the concept of embedded librarianship with many mistaking traditional models of librarianship as embedded. Roughly half (n = 21) of respondents reported embedded librarians at their institution. Follow up interviews revealed five models of embeddedness: (1) subject librarianship, (2) teaching information retrieval or library orientation sessions, (3) participation in research teams, (4) co-location with academic departments, and (5) assisting university administration with decision-making. Only half of these libraries (n = 11) conducted some form of assessment. Conclusion – Embedded librarianship is a promising, but not yet widely adopted model in Chinese university libraries. More should be done to advocate for its implementation or libraries risk obsolescence.