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A study published yesterday in Jama Pediatrics found that doctors are less likely to give black children painkillers in the emergency room than their white peers—even when they are suffering from agonizing conditions.
The report, “Racial Disparities in Pain Management of Children With Appendicitis in Emergency Departments,” found that across all backgrounds, 57 percent of children who arrived in the ER with acute appendicitis were given pain medication. Despite the fact that experts agree that appendicitis is a condition that requires opioids (such as fentanyl and morphine) for pain relief, just 41 percent of the children received them. That already-low number drops off precipitously when it comes to black children: Only 21 percent were given opioids, versus 43 percent of white patients. Overall, the researchers found that black kids with acute appendicitis only have a 12.2-percent chance of receiving proper pain management.
To uncover these statistics, the researchers—led by Monika K. Goyal of the Children’s National Health System—examined National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data from 2003 through 2010, which revealed the treatment plans for about 940,000 children who suffered acute appendicitis in that time period. The researchers concluded that the unequal treatment can be attributed to racial bias and an unfounded fear of administering the powerful opioids to children.
“Our findings suggest that there are racial disparities in opioid administration to children with appendicitis,” the study concluded. “Our findings suggest that although clinicians may recognize pain equally across racial groups, they may be reacting to the pain differently by treating black patients with nonopioid analgesia, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, while treating white patients with opioid analgesia for similar pain.”
A 2011 study found that white people do not feel the same level of empathy for black people experiencing physical pain that they do for people of their own race. And other studies have uncovered racial bias in medical care for people of color. It’s a phenomenon so widespread that the government’s Healthy People 2020 initiative counts eliminating that health inequity as one of its goals.
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In the 21st century the concept of racism is still a highly prevalent topic. Many African Americans and Hispanics are racially profiled each and every day. Majority of these racial groups also comprise much of our impoverished population, so naturally a negative stigma has been created. They are often targeted or associated to something that involves crime. However, we fail to see why a lot of these people engage into these dangerous activities. I personally could never bring it upon myself to do something illegal, but the need a lot of these people face daily is one I could not imagine. Many of these criminals seek to indulge in that lifestyle to bring home food and the basic needs. Sometimes they are forced to do the only thing they know how to do best which is being criminal. Many of us can’t imagine this kind of reality, but we can’t be too quick to judge what they do.
This article depicts one of many biases minorities face on a daily basis. The astounding fact that some people are more deserving of pain killers based on the color of your skin is a disappointment in our healthcare system. In addition, the study even noted that there was equal pain recognition among physicians across all of the racial groups. So what exactly pushes more physicians to prescribe non-opioid medication to African Americans versus people who are white? How is it that African Americans compose the majority of our lower class yet there is a lower level of empathy for them? Even though many of these people also live on government money, it does not make them any less deserving of healthcare. I feel that in the presence of money the essence of human nature and nurture is lost amongst all of us.