Molecular epidemiology of TBI outcome amongst individuals of Black racial identity or African ancestry: a scoping review protocol

<b>Introduction.</b><b> </b>Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. In the United States, individuals who racially identify as African American or Black experience disproportionately higher rates of TBI and sustain worse prognosis compared to White patients; however, this population continues to be underrepresented in contemporary translational research agendas. This protocol aims to comprehensively evaluate and synthesize what is currently known about the molecular epidemiology of TBI outcome among individuals of Black racial identity or African ancestry.<b>Methods and analysis.</b><b> </b>This review will use the established scoping review framework from the Joanna Briggs Institute. We will pilot the protocol using PubMed and expand to databases including MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL Library (Wiley) in the final review. A two-stage screening process will be performed first at the title and abstract level before full-text assessment. Screening will be performed by two independent reviewers and discrepancies will be reconciled by a third reviewer. Articles included in this review must be human studies including individuals with TBI. We will include studies that investigate molecular and biochemical markers of TBI-outcome. Studies must include individuals who are (A) of Black or African American racial identity, (B) of African Ancestry and/or (C) performed in Sub-Saharan African countries. Data extracted from will be analyzed and presented as written narrative, summary statistics of study characteristics, and graphical or tabular displays.<b>Ethics and dissemination.</b> Ethical approval is not required for this scoping review. The results of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and academic conferences.