ECMO Therapy Out of Reach for Multiple Socioeconomic Groups
Socioeconomic disparities made certain groups on mechanical ventilation less likely to receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment in the years before the pandemic, a Nationwide Readmissions Database study found. Women were a relative 27% less likely to receive ECMO than their male counterparts (adjusted OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.70-0.75), while patients on Medicaid were nearly […]
Pregnant, Black? Here’s Your Drug Test
Perinatal care differs by race and ethnicity, with greater disparities in care for more stigmatizing conditions such as depression and substance use, according to a retrospective study. For example, compared with white women, Black women were less likely to receive a prenatal depression screen (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-0.9) and more likely to be given […]
Implicit Bias Training Betters Psychiatric Care at One Seattle Hospital
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Staff training in implicit bias curbed racial disparities in the use of mechanical restraints at one Seattle hospital, a researcher reported. From 2015-2017, about 13% of ethnic minority patients were restrained in the psychiatric units at Harborview Medical Center versus just over 8% of white patients, explained Timothy Meeks, MN, RN, […]
Oprah, Smithsonian Channel To Explore Health Care Inequities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oprah Winfrey and the Smithsonian Channel are partnering to highlight racial disparities in the health care system through a new campaign and documentary. The network revealed on Thursday the Color of Care campaign to create a solution toward health equity. The campaign will follow the premiere of Winfrey’s “The Color of […]
Study examines disparities in air pollution affecting American Indian communities: First study to shed light on ambient particulate matter in tribal lands across the U.S.
A new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health highlights disparities in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) trends between American Indian (AI) and non-AI populated counties of the U.S. PM2.5 is one of several air pollutants regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with the current annual standard set at 12?g/m3. Downward trends […]
What’s Behind the Racial Differences in Women’s Cancer Screening?
When it comes to racial disparities in cancer screening for women, factors such as disability, medical comorbidities, and insurance status may be playing an outsized role, a cross-sectional survey based in Chicago found. While women who identified as Black, Hispanic, or another race or ethnicity were significantly less likely than white women to be up […]
Heart Transplant: A Slightly More Level Playing Field Under New UNOS System
Recent changes to U.S. donor heart allocation were followed by a narrowing of racial disparities in listing and transplant, though much more work remains to eliminate inequality, researchers warned. Black patients listed for cardiac transplantation in 2011-2020 were less likely than white peers to die while waiting (adjusted HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-0.98). However, they […]