Reply #57: More bias in medical treatment

[jmm]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health/jan-june08/cardiac_01-03.html

Study: Hospital Response Slow in Cardiac-Arrest Cases

Black patients were also more likely to get delayed treatment, although the researchers said that difference was probably due to differences in the types of hospitals where black and white patients were admitted.



http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/92869.php

White Patients More Likely To Receive Opioids In Emergency Department, USA

Over the 13 survey years, the researchers found that

-- 31% of whites received an opioid prescription for pain related visits
-- 23% of blacks received an opioid prescription for pain related visits
-- 24% of Hispanics received an opioid prescription for pain related visits
-- 28% of Asians and other ethnic/racial groups received an opioid prescription for pain related visits

The differences in opioid prescribing were present, consistently, across different kinds of pain, pain severities, for visits in which pain was the first/second/third reason for the visit, as well as two specific painful diagnoses - long-bone fracture and kidney stones. In fact, as pain severity increased the difference in opioid prescribing between whites and non-whites was larger. For example

-- 48% of whites got an opioid prescription for back pain
-- 36% of non-whites got an opioid prescription for back pain

-- 35% of whites got an opioid prescription for headache
-- 24% of non-whites got an opioid prescription for headache

-- 32% of whites got an opioid prescription for abdominal pain
-- 22% of non-whites got an opioid prescription for abdominal pain

-- 40% of whites got an opioid prescription for other pain
-- 28% of non-whites got an opioid prescription for other pain

Even after making statistical adjustments for pain severity, and some other factors, the differentials still remained.

Compared to a white patient,

-- a black patient is 34% less likely to get an opioid prescription
-- a Hispanic patient is 33% less likely to get an opioid prescription
-- an Asian/other patient is 21% less likely to get an opioid prescription