Are There Racial Disparities in Perioperative Pain? A Retrospective Study of a Gynecological Surgery Cohort.
Allyson C Kahveci, Mary J Dooley, Jada Johnson and 1 others
PMID 37855762WHAT IT FOUND
No racial disparities were found in immediate postoperative pain scores or intraoperative analgesia between Black and White patients undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy.
The null primary outcome held even after controlling for morphine equivalents, age, and comorbidities.
Key findings
01There were no statistically significant differences between races in the first pain score or the highest pain score in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit.
02There were no statistically significant differences in perioperative analgesic administration between the two racial groups.
03Black patients had longer median procedure times and more median blood loss than White patients.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted at a single center, so results may not generalize to other institutions or healthcare systems. Race and ethnicity data were retrieved from the electronic health record, which may contain clerical errors or reflect patient self-identification inaccuracies. The analysis was retrospective, relying on existing documentation rather than standardized prospective pain assessments. Pain scores were not captured at standardized time points, but rather at the first recorded instance when the patient was awake, which may affect comparability. The study excluded Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American patients due to small sample sizes, limiting the scope of racial disparity analysis to Black and White patients.
Declared interests
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that racial disparities in pain management do not exist in healthcare. This null finding applies only to immediate postoperative pain and analgesia in a specific single-center gynecological surgery cohort and does not extend to other surgical types, chronic pain settings, or other demographic groups.