Improving and expanding Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) during times of social change

In the summer of 2020, the Latinx Caucus of the Medical Library Association focused on addressing bias in medical subject heading terminologies by establishing the Hispanic/Latinx Inclusive Terminologies Project. Two project teams were formed. The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Project Team’s objective was to recommend inclusive and expanded language within existing medical subject headings to better represent Hispanic/Latinx populations in the United States. From January 2021 to June 2021, the MeSH Project Team conducted a scoping assessment of Hispanic/Latinx terminologies from various sources. The scoping assessment included a review of federal sources, biomedical and health databases, style guides, social media, news articles, and academic literature to review the historical use of Hispanic and Latino and usage trends of gender-neutral terms like Latinx and Latine. In reviewing the scoping assessment and existing MeSH structure for Hispanic and Mexican Americans, the MeSH Project Team recommended two new MeSH terms, Latin Americans and Brazilian Americans, and additional entry terms for existing headings. Team recommendations were submitted to the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) between June and October 2021. The team also contacted NLM's MeSH Division for guidance on the terms creation and submission process. By systematically evaluating various resources using a scoping assessment as the primary tool and reviewing gaps within medical subject headings, the MeSH Project Team members could propose four recommendations for enhancing Hispanic/Latinx terminologies and influencing changes to existing terms.