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.
