No racial or ethnic disparity in treatment of long-bone fractures.
Studies of data from the 1990s are often cited as evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in pain management. Subsequent evidence supporting this association has not been consistent. The objective was to assess whether there are racial or ethnic disparities in receipt of analgesics for pain from long-bone fractures more recently and in a different region of the United States. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 449 patients. Twenty-three percent (53/235) of Hispanic patients, 31% (41/133) of African American patients, and 26% (21/81) of white patients did not receive analgesics. Compared with white patients, the relative risk of not receiving analgesics was 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-2.03) for African Americans and 0.90 (95% confidence interval, 0.05-1.47) for Hispanic patients after controlling for age, sex, mechanism, marital status, mode of arrival, fracture reduction, fracture type, disposition, and insurance status. We did not find evidence of racial or ethnic disparities in the management of pain from long-bone fractures.
Bijur
Polly
P
Department of Emergency Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Rose F. Kennedy Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. bijur@aecom.yu.edu
Bérard
Anick
A
Nestor
Jordan
J
Calderon
Yvette
Y
Davitt
Michelle
M
Gallagher
E John
EJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D005121:Extremities / Q000293:injuries; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D000700:Analgesics