Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-1816-1019

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

10-19-2026

Abstract

Health science librarians trained in systematic reviews typically provide support that is limited to search design and execution, with less involvement in subsequent project phases. To address this gap, a team of librarians undertook a scoping review to develop expertise across the full spectrum of evidence synthesis activities.

A team of systematic review librarians initiated a scoping review to identify and map the health science literature related to Hurricane Katrina and its long-term impacts, using a curated institutional bibliography as a pilot dataset. This professional development initiative enabled the team to gain hands-on experience with Covidence software across all stages of the scoping review process and build confidence for supporting evidence synthesis projects. Activities included registering a protocol, screening citations, extracting data, and presenting preliminary outcomes as a poster presentation. The team worked collaboratively to define the research questions, develop search strategies in multiple databases, and create the data extraction template. The pilot project has been completed and presented at a conference. Screening is currently underway with ~8,000 articles found in searches from seven databases.

This effort will not only advance a large-scale review of disaster-related health science literature but also demonstrates how a team-based scoping review can serve as a professional development tool. By engaging in all stages of the project, the librarians expanded their methodological expertise and can provide more robust project support.

Comments

Paper Presentation from the 2026 South Central Chapter / Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA) Annual Meeting, Fort Worth, TX, October 16-20, 2026.

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