Healthcare disparities refer
to inequalities that exist in the quality of healthcare among groups such as
racial and ethnic populations. Causes for the inequalities may be access to
good health care, community obstacles, and personal behaviors. In America, racial-ethnic disparities
have continued to persist, even when income, health insurance, and access to
care are the same among various racial-ethnic groups. This post focuses on
research on end-of-life racial disparities in nursing home residents who are
deceased.
Nursing homes certified for
Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement were included in this study. Assessed were
advance directive measures, hospice use, and hospitalization with these
results:
1)
Across different types
of advance directives, black, Hispanic, and Asian nursing home residents were
significantly less likely to have these documented in their files.
2)
Compared with white
residents, Asian residents were also significantly less likely to receive
hospice services during their last year of life, whereas Hispanic residents
were more likely to receive services.
3)
Finally, all
racial-ethnic groups were more likely to experience hospitalization within 90
days before death, regardless of whether they had documentation of a
do-not-hospitalize order.
These results indicate
a great need for more education of healthcare workers and community members as
well as more monitoring and accountability to eliminate disparities.
You can read more about cradle-to-grave African American healthcare disparities here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/african-american-pain-treatment-disparities-emergency-parker?trk=mp-author-card
You can read more about cradle-to-grave African American healthcare disparities here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/african-american-pain-treatment-disparities-emergency-parker?trk=mp-author-card
An explanation of racial inequalities in healthcare is featured in this video:
Frances Shani Parker,
Author
Becoming Dead Right: A
Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes
is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at
booksellers such as
Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
I'm fairly certain they conducted some of these studies in some of the independent apartments in Westminster CO, I remember seeing some sort of out of place folks there. They ought to do this kind of thing every year, keep on the pressure to make sure documents are always maintained.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad and disappointing that racial and ethnic disparities still exist, and it should never be tolerated. Every patient deserves the highest quality of care, no matter what the color of their skin is. Healthcare workers need to be properly education and need to be monitored and held accountable for their actions, to prevent future racism and abuse.
ReplyDeleteHi, Thanks for the very nice post about health care disparities. Really useful post for everyone who needs home care.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of research and articles lately about the aging minority population and how racism is still a problem unfortunately. When looking for a nursing home for your loved one, make sure you know what you're getting into.
ReplyDelete