Training bilingual and multilingual individuals to become medical interpreters
Author: Disparity Matters
A new study published in Neurology has uncovered significant disparities in post-acute stroke care utilization among different racial, ethnic, and regional groups in the United States. The research, conducted by Man et al., analyzed data from over 1 million patients admitted for ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage between 2017 and 2018. The study found that insurance status played a crucial role in determining access to post-acute care services. Patients with private insurance had the lowest odds of being discharged to a facility or receiving home health care compared to uninsured patients. Hispanic patients with Medicare/Medicaid or self-pay had lower odds of…
A recent study published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, has uncovered concerning gaps in knowledge about endometrial cancer symptoms and significant racial disparities in care. The research found that 37% of women do not recognize postmenopausal bleeding as an early symptom of endometrial cancer, with less than half of participants reporting counseling on this issue from healthcare professionals. The study highlights a critical need for improved education among both patients and clinicians, especially given the rising incidence and mortality rates of uterine cancer. Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society, emphasized the importance of this finding,…
A new study published in JMIR Medical Informatics has uncovered concerning evidence of racial bias in how doctors describe patients in electronic health records. Researchers analyzed records from 281 physicians and found that doctors were more likely to use negative language when writing about Black and Hispanic patients compared to white patients. The study revealed that summaries for Black and Hispanic patients contained significantly more negative adjectives like “unkind” or “stupid,” as well as more words related to fear and disgust. Notes for Hispanic patients also included fewer positive descriptors and words expressing trust or joy. “Previous studies have shown that care…
A new study led by the University of California, Irvine has found that the presence of sociocultural institutions within ethnic enclaves may positively influence the health of immigrant Asian American and Hispanic populations. The research, published in Social Science and Medicine, introduces novel measures to identify connections between majority minority neighborhoods and health outcomes. The study’s lead author, Brittany Morey (above), associate professor at UC Irvine’s Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, explained that they used business listings instead of census data to identify organizations promoting cultural and social identity. These included arts, civic, historical, religious, social service,…
A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health has revealed alarming disparities in drinking water quality between Latino/a and non-Latino/a communities in California. The research, conducted by Sandy Sum, a Ph.D. candidate at UC Santa Barbara, found that community water systems (CWSs) serving majority Latino/a populations consistently exhibit higher and more variable levels of nitrate and arsenic contamination. Sum’s analysis, spanning from 2007 to 2020, uncovered that drought conditions exacerbate these disparities. For CWSs serving more than 75% Latino/a populations, drought doubled the increase in nitrate concentrations. Surface water sources showed a particularly stark contrast, with majority Latino/a…
A new study from the Yale School of Public Health reveals that Black, Latino, and some Asian populations in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states experience hotter summers than their non-Hispanic white counterparts living in the same counties. This temperature disparity, linked to residential segregation, has significant implications for health and energy equity. The research, led by Daniel Carrión, assistant professor of epidemiology, found that minoritized groups are consistently exposed to higher warm-season temperatures than county averages would suggest. This exposure gap is concerning because these populations are already more vulnerable to heat-related health issues due to higher rates of cardiovascular and…
A new NIH-funded study has uncovered significant disparities in survival outcomes for cardiac arrest patients receiving bystander CPR, with Black adults and women experiencing fewer benefits compared to white adults and men. The research, published in Circulation, analyzed over 620,000 cardiac arrest cases in the U.S. from 2013 to 2022. While bystander CPR generally increased survival chances by 28%, the benefits varied dramatically across demographic groups. White adults saw a 33% increase in survival odds with bystander CPR, compared to just 9% for Black adults. Similarly, men experienced a 35% boost in survival odds, while women saw only a 15% increase.Dr.…
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals significant racial disparities in the diagnosis and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the United States. The research, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, found that Black patients with ALS experience an average 8-month longer wait for diagnosis compared to white patients. The study analyzed data from 4,242 ALS patients enrolled in the National ALS Registry between 2010 and 2022. While ALS is more common among white people in the U.S., the findings highlight important differences in how the disease manifests and is…
Black mothers and infants in the United States face significantly higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths and adverse birth outcomes compared to their white counterparts. A new article in Psychology Today examines how group prenatal care models like CenteringPregnancy could help combat these racial disparities in maternal and infant health.Group prenatal care, where small groups of pregnant people meet with providers for extended sessions, may help by improving patient education and social support. Early research suggests this model could reduce preterm deliveries for Black families.The U.S. has some of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates among developed nations, with Black…