To add to the pile of research citing racial disparities in healthcare, a new study examining surgery for stage I or II non-small cell lung cancer reveals that only 55 percent of black patients eligible for the surgery actually had it--vs. 66 percent of white patients.
Among all the patients who opted out of the life-saving surgery, researchers found that those having negative perceptions of communication with their doctor, a belief that the diagnosis wasn't completely certain and a feeling that quality of life would be worse in a year were less likely to get the operation.
For black patients, however, there were additional factors associated with a lower chance of surgery: two or more additional illnesses or a lack of a regular source of medical care (although more than 90 percent of all patients studied were covered by insurance). In addition, there may be an unconscious bias among non-black physicians against providing more aggressive treatment to blacks, the study notes, citing previous research.
While some disparities boil down to systemic problems, experts say that improving communication about the disease is critical to improving care. "You can improve on those kinds of [communication] skills that are taught in med school and reinforce them in residency," Walter Scott, chief of thoracic surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study, told the WSJ Health Blog.
Frank Bowen, head of thoracic oncology at Cooper University Hospital, concurred. "There are so many other things that come into play. And making sure that you're able to address all their concerns is I think vital to connecting to the patient, establishing trust, making sure that you're completely comprehensive in what you're offering the patient," he told WHYY.com.
To learn more:
- see this post in the Wall Street Journal Health Blog
- check out this piece on WHYY.com
- here's the abstract in the Journal of the American Medical Association