Current:Home > InvestStudy finds racial disparities in online patient portal responses-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Study finds racial disparities in online patient portal responses
View Date:2024-12-23 22:53:10
Have you ever sent your doctor a question through an online patient portal? The type of response you get may differ depending on your race, a recent study suggests.
For the study, published in JAMA Network Open Monday, researchers examined patient portal message responses from more than 39,000 patients at Boston Medical Center in 2021, including the rates at which medical advice requests were responded to and the types of health care professionals that responded.
"When patients who belong to minoritized racial and ethnic groups sent these messages, the likelihood of receiving any care team response was similar, but the types of health care professionals that responded differed," the authors wrote.
Black patients were nearly 4 percentage points less likely to receive a response from an attending physician, and about 3 percentage points more likely to receive a response from a registered nurse.
"Similar, but smaller, differences were observed for Asian and Hispanic patients," the authors added.
Why is this happening? The study points to several possibilities, ranging from implicit bias to message content and physician time constraints.
Since patients' emailed questions are typically seen first by a triaging nurse, researchers say there is concern that messages from minority patients are "less likely to be prioritized for physician response."
Patient "health literacy" may also play a role, the authors suggested. Personal health literacy is described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as "the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others."
"Lower health literacy may influence the types of requests patients make through the portal and the manner in which those requests are communicated," the authors write.
Obtaining fair and efficient access to health care has been a longstanding issue for Black people in the U.S.
"Our system in America is not built to serve everyone equally, and the health care system is not immune to that," emergency room doctor Leigh-Ann Webb, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Virginia, previously told CBS News.
Black Americans are significantly more likely than White people to suffer from chronic health conditions like diabetes and asthma, have the highest mortality rate for all cancers compared to any other racial group, and have an infant mortality rate that's nearly twice the national average. Black women are also roughly three times more likely than White women to die during childbirth, according to the CDC.
And while advancements in health care technology, such as the use of AI, could help improve care, some experts worry these systems could amplify the racial bias that has persisted in medical care for generations.
-Li Cohen and the Associated Press contributed reporting.
Sara MoniuszkoSara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.
TwitterveryGood! (511)
Related
- NCT DREAM enters the 'DREAMSCAPE': Members on new album, its concept and songwriting
- Donald Trump will get juror names at New York criminal trial but they’ll be anonymous to the public
- Avoid sargassum seaweed, algal blooms on Florida beaches in spring with water quality maps
- Former US Rep. George Santos, expelled from Congress, says he is running again
- Zendaya Shares When She Feels Extra Safe With Boyfriend Tom Holland
- Kylie Jenner Reacts to Critics Who Say Relationship With Timothée Chalamet Inspired Her New Look
- 'Cabrini' film tells origin of first US citizen saint: What to know about Mother Cabrini
- Kirk Cousins, Chris Jones, Saquon Barkley are among the star players set to test NFL free agency
- Tesla Cybertruck modifications upgrade EV to a sci-fi police vehicle
- In rights landmark, Greek novelist and lawyer are the first same-sex couple wed at Athens city hall
Ranking
- Stocks soared on news of Trump's election. Bonds sank. Here's why.
- US jobs report for February is likely to show that hiring remains solid but slower
- NBA playoff picture: Updated standings, bracket, and play-in schedule for 2024
- Get 50% Off Tarte Mascara, 80% Off Free People, $6 Baublebar Deals, 25% Off Kiehl's & More Discounts
- Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to kick off fundraising effort for Ohio women’s suffrage monument
- What is an IUD? Answering the birth control questions you were too afraid to ask
- Get 50% Off Tarte Mascara, 80% Off Free People, $6 Baublebar Deals, 25% Off Kiehl's & More Discounts
- Alabama clinic resumes IVF treatments under new law shielding providers from liability
Recommendation
-
NCT DREAM enters the 'DREAMSCAPE': Members on new album, its concept and songwriting
-
Donald Trump will get juror names at New York criminal trial but they’ll be anonymous to the public
-
Biden visiting battleground states and expanding staff as his campaign tries to seize the offensive
-
Parents struggle to track down ADHD medication for their children as shortage continues
-
Joan says 'Yes!' to 'Golden Bachelorette' finale fantasy beach proposal. Who did she pick?
-
Haiti's top gang leader warns of civil war that will lead to genocide unless prime minister steps down
-
'Inside Out 2' trailer adds new emotions from Envy to Embarrassment. See the new cast
-
Find Out Who Won The Traitors Season 2