BACKGROUND: Despite the critical role that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provides in the health care system, racial/ethnic treatment disparities in EMS remain relatively unexamined. OBJECTIVE: To investigate racial/ethnic treatment disparities in pain assessment and pain medication administration in EMS. RESEARCH DESIGN: A retrospective analysis was performed on 25,732 EMS encounters from 2015 to 2017 recorded in the Oregon Emergency Medical Services Information System using multivariate logistic regression models to examine the role of patient race/ethnicity in pain assessment and pain medication administration among patients with a traumatic injury. RESULTS: Hispanic and Asian patients were less likely to receive a pain assessment procedure and all racial/ethnic patients were less likely to receive pain medications compared with white patients. In particular, regarding the adjusted likelihood of receiving a pain assessment procedure, Hispanic patients were 21% less likely [95% confidence interval (CI), 10%-30%; P<0.001], Asian patients were 31% less likely (95% CI, 16%-43%; P<0.001) when compared with white patients. Regarding the adjusted likelihood of receiving any pain medications, black patients were 32% less likely (95% CI, 21%-42%; P<0.001), Hispanic patients were 21% less likely (95% CI, 7%-32%; P<0.01), and Asian patients were 24% less likely (95% CI, 1%-41%; P<0.05) when compared with white patients. CONCLUSIONS: Racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to experience disadvantages in EMS treatment in Oregon. Hispanic and Asian patients who requested EMS services in Oregon for traumatic injuries were less likely to have their pain assessed and all racial/ethnicity patients were less likely to be treated with pain medications when compared with white patients.
BACKGROUND: Despite the critical role that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provides in the health care system, racial/ethnic treatment disparities in EMS remain relatively unexamined. OBJECTIVE: To investigate racial/ethnic treatment disparities in pain assessment and pain medication administration in EMS. RESEARCH DESIGN: A retrospective analysis was performed on 25,732 EMS encounters from 2015 to 2017 recorded in the Oregon Emergency Medical Services Information System using multivariate logistic regression models to examine the role of patient race/ethnicity in pain assessment and pain medication administration among patients with a traumatic injury. RESULTS: Hispanic and Asian patients were less likely to receive a pain assessment procedure and all racial/ethnic patients were less likely to receive pain medications compared with white patients. In particular, regarding the adjusted likelihood of receiving a pain assessment procedure, Hispanic patients were 21% less likely [95% confidence interval (CI), 10%-30%; P<0.001], Asian patients were 31% less likely (95% CI, 16%-43%; P<0.001) when compared with white patients. Regarding the adjusted likelihood of receiving any pain medications, black patients were 32% less likely (95% CI, 21%-42%; P<0.001), Hispanic patients were 21% less likely (95% CI, 7%-32%; P<0.01), and Asian patients were 24% less likely (95% CI, 1%-41%; P<0.05) when compared with white patients. CONCLUSIONS: Racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to experience disadvantages in EMS treatment in Oregon. Hispanic and Asian patients who requested EMS services in Oregon for traumatic injuries were less likely to have their pain assessed and all racial/ethnicity patients were less likely to be treated with pain medications when compared with white patients.
Authors: Harrison Dickens; Uma Rao; Dustin Sarver; Stephen Bruehl; Kerry Kinney; Cynthia Karlson; Emily Grenn; Matthew Kutcher; Chinenye Iwuchukwu; Amber Kyle; Burel Goodin; Hector Myers; Subodh Nag; William B Hillegass; Matthew C Morris Journal: J Racial Ethn Health Disparities Date: 2022-03-28
Authors: Emily Grenn; Matthew Kutcher; William B Hillegass; Chinenye Iwuchukwu; Amber Kyle; Stephen Bruehl; Burel Goodin; Hector Myers; Uma Rao; Subodh Nag; Kerry Kinney; Harrison Dickens; Matthew C Morris Journal: J Trauma Acute Care Surg Date: 2021-12-20 Impact factor: 3.697
Authors: Joshua R Lupton; Robert H Schmicker; Tom P Aufderheide; Audrey Blewer; Clifton Callaway; Jestin N Carlson; M Riccardo Colella; Matt Hansen; Heather Herren; Graham Nichol; Henry Wang; Mohamud R Daya Journal: Resuscitation Date: 2020-08-11 Impact factor: 5.262
Authors: Nathan D Markiewitz; Ishaan Swarup; Divya Talwar; Wallis T Muhly; Lawrence Wells; Brendan A Williams Journal: Orthop J Sports Med Date: 2022-01-17
Authors: Barbara Resnick; Kimberly Van Haitsma; Ann Kolanowski; Elizabeth Galik; Marie Boltz; Jeanette Ellis; Liza Behrens; Karen Eshraghi; Cynthia L Renn; Susan G Dorsey Journal: Front Pain Res (Lausanne) Date: 2021-12-02