An analysis of hundreds of studies has found minority children receive worse medical care than non-Hispanic white ones starting at birth.
“From the very earliest moments of life, there are pervasive inequities in the quality of healthcare received by children in the USA,” said Natalie Slopen, assistant professor of sociology and behavioral sciences at Harvard University, who led the five-year research review. “Racism profoundly impacts not only children’s health but also people’s health into adulthood.”
After looking at hundreds of studies from January 2017 to July 2022, researchers found “widespread patterns of inequitable treatment across paediatric specialties, including neonatology, primary care, emergency medicine, inpatient and critical care, surgery, developmental disabilities, mental health care, endocrinology, and palliative care.”
The analysis revealed differences in wait times, determinations of who receives care first, and suspected child abuse evaluations for nonwhite children who come to the emergency room, USA Today reported.
However, the largest disparity found Black and Hispanic children were less likely to receive painkillers for a broken bone, appendicitis or a migraine.
The researchers also discovered white children were often unnecessarily given painkillers, antibiotics, IV fluids and diagnostic imaging.
“People are getting suboptimal care no matter what,” lead author Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, pediatrician and researcher at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University, told USA Today. “That was really fascinating to me and kind of drove home the point that we need to really think about pediatric care through an equitable lens … in a way that will help to promote good health for all of us.”
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