A new study published in JAMA Network Open reveals a concerning disparity in how physicians respond to patient messages through online portals, potentially exacerbating existing racial inequalities in healthcare access. The research, conducted at Boston Medical Center, examined responses to patient portal messages sent by 39,000 primary care patients in 2021. While overall response rates from all provider types were similar across racial groups, the study uncovered a significant difference in responses from attending physicians. Black patients were 3.95 percentage points less likely than white patients to receive a response from an attending physician. Hispanic and Asian patients also experienced lower…
Author: Disparity Matters
Despite expanded eligibility criteria, lung cancer screening rates in the United States remain alarmingly low, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. The overall screening prevalence rose only marginally from 16.4% to 19.6% following the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s 2021 revision of screening guidelines. The updated criteria lowered the initial screening age from 55 to 50 years and reduced the pack-year smoking history requirement from 30 to 20. This expansion increased the eligible population by 65.9%, from about 8.15 million to 13.53 million individuals. Notably, the new guidelines led to significant increases in screening eligibility among racial and…
Black patients and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds face significant disparities in accessing immunotherapy treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the United States ((1)) ((2)) ((5)). This inequality in care access contributes to higher mortality rates among these patient populations. Studies have shown that racial and ethnic disparities exist in the outcomes of metastatic cancer patients. These disparities persist even with the introduction of novel therapies, including immunotherapy, which has demonstrated remarkable success in treating various forms of cancer. Research indicates that when Black patients do have access to immunotherapy, their survival rates are comparable…
U.S. drug overdose deaths reached an all-time high of 107,941 in 2022, but the rate of increase has slowed significantly, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the total marks only a slight increase from 106,699 deaths in 2021, the data reveal widening racial disparities in overdose fatalities. Overdose rates among white Americans decreased slightly from 2021 to 2022. However, rates jumped among Black Americans during the same period. American Indian and Alaska Native populations experienced the largest increase at 15%, accelerating an existing trend in tribal communities nationwide. The synthetic opioid fentanyl…
Native Americans are experiencing the highest rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis in the United States, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of congenital syphilis among American Indians and Alaska Natives was triple that of African Americans and nearly 12 times the rate for white babies in 2022. The nationwide surge in syphilis infections has reached a 70-year high, with particularly devastating effects on Native communities. In New Mexico, which reported the highest rate of congenital syphilis among states in 2022, cases have increased by 660% over the past five years. Experts…
Tobacco companies are introducing new “non-menthol” products that mimic traditional menthols as federal and state bans on menthol cigarettes loom. These products contain alternative cooling additives and are marketed with similar branding to their menthol counterparts, raising concerns among health advocates. Dr. Robert Jackler, a Stanford tobacco marketing expert, describes these new products as “non-menthol – wink, wink – menthol,” highlighting the intentional similarities in packaging and marketing slogans. The tobacco industry aims to retain its menthol market share, which accounts for 40% of smokers. The potential menthol ban would significantly impact Black communities, which have been heavily targeted by tobacco companies’…
Jessica Pettway, a 36-year-old beauty influencer, has died from cervical cancer after receiving multiple incorrect medical diagnoses, shedding light on the persistent racial disparities in healthcare. Pettway’s sister confirmed her death on Instagram, nearly nine months after the YouTuber revealed doctors had misdiagnosed her condition as fibroids. The tragedy underscores a broader issue in the U.S. healthcare system, where 12 million people receive incorrect medical diagnoses annually. Dr. David Newman-Toker from Johns Hopkins notes that misdiagnosis rates are 20% to 30% higher for women and racial minorities compared to white men. This disparity is particularly stark for Black women, who…
A recent analysis by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, has revealed alarming disparities in maternal health outcomes for women of African descent across the Americas. The study, titled “Maternal Health of Women and Girls of African Descent in the Americas,” highlights the persistent impact of racism and sexism on maternal mortality rates. The analysis found that Afrodescendent women and girls are more likely to die during childbirth than almost any other racial or ethnic group in the region. In the United States, Black women are three times more likely to die during or shortly after childbirth compared…
“Lack of transportation can result in missed healthcare appointments, increased health-related expenditures, and ultimately worse health outcomes.The interplay between transportation and health highlights how important it is for state health agencies to work together to address the nonmedical drivers of health. ‘
Google announced three major initiatives aimed at building equity into their health-related artificial intelligence work during their annual health event, The Check Up. These efforts seek to address disparities in healthcare outcomes that disproportionately affect people of color, women, rural communities, and other historically marginalized populations. The company’s Chief Health Equity officer highlighted the importance of developing AI-powered health tools responsibly and equitably. The first initiative involves a new research paper providing a framework to identify and mitigate biases in medical large language models. This includes a set of adversarial testing datasets called “EquityMedQA” to help evaluate potential biases. Secondly,…