Time to Reflect and Take Action on Health Disparities and Health Inequities.
Susan Salmond, Caroline Dorsen
PMID 35358124WHAT IT FOUND
Review of orthopaedic care shows Black and Hispanic patients are less likely to receive joint replacements and have worse outcomes, driven by bias, communication gaps, and system barriers.
Nurses are urged to address these inequities through reflection and structural action.
Key findings
01Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, and mixed-race patients are less likely than White counterparts to receive joint arthroplasty for advanced osteoarthritis.
02Implicit gender bias may sway decisions, with orthopaedic surgeons 22 times more likely to recommend knee arthroplasty to male than female patients in identical vignettes.
03In a universally insured integrated health system, Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients had similar or better total hip arthroplasty outcomes compared to White patients, suggesting system factors are critical.
STILL TO COME
What it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review and editorial piece, not an empirical study, so it does not test an intervention or measure outcomes directly. It relies on secondary data and existing literature rather than new patient records.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the disparities described as evidence that nurses or therapists are personally biased or that specific clinical interventions have been proven to reduce these gaps. This paper outlines the problem and calls for reflection; it does not report results from a trial testing a solution.