Pain and Treatment Outcomes Among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black and non- Hispanic White women
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Nasrin Jahan
CoPIs:
Maram Asalieh, Brianna Hereman, Angel Ibrahim, Nasrin Jahan, Ruth Klebansky, Nerogica Nimalan, Emily Phan
College:
The College of Health Professions and Human Services
Major:
Physician Assistant Studies
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Wendy Ritch, Samah Jaramillo
Abstract:
Introduction
Racial bias affects the health of minority groups such as African Americans and Hispanic women. Oftentimes, their pain is dismissed as they struggle to find proper treatment and care to address their health concerns. Among various racial groups, different management and treatment plans in the health care setting are often driven by racial bias leading to lack of available resources, appropriate pain management, and overall undertreatment of their pain.
Objective
Given the disparity that exists, our study investigated the relationship between race/ethnicity and pain management among women belonging to minority groups within a population based sample of US adults. Our secondary objective was to evaluate if these associations were dependent on the nature of the patient-provider relationship.
Methods
We conducted the study using a 10-minute survey consisting of 13 questions via Qualtrics. Data collected included 184 responses from US adults who identified as women. We also used the Visual Analogue Scale to mark the patients pain level prior to and after their treatment. Our survey was administered in both English and Spanish and all participants were enrolled in a raffle to win a $25 Visa gift card. The survey was posted on multiple social media platforms such as Craigslist, Facebook, and Instagram. Additionally, it was sent out to participants via email. We used the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test to analyze differences in the treatment of pain between populations of women.
Results/Findings
Among the three most prevalent female populations- African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Whites/Caucasians there were a total of 37 respondents who identified as African American, 61 respondents who identified as White, and 29 respondents who identified as Hispanic. Out of the 37 respondents who are African American, 18 respondents (48.6%) rated their satisfaction after treatment anywhere between a 1 to 5 out of 10, and 12 respondents (32.4%) rated their satisfaction after treatment anywhere between a 6 to 10 out of 10. Our data revealed that African American females had lower levels of satisfaction after treatment compared to the other populations.
Conclusion/Discussion
In conclusion, the study highlights significant disparities in pain management among women in minority groups in the United States. As indicated by the results of this study, satisfaction with treatment differs among African American, Hispanic/Latino, and White/Caucasian women, with African American females having the lowest level of satisfaction compared to other populations. This suggests that racial and ethnic background may influence the perception and management of pain, which highlights systematic biases within healthcare systems. Addressing these disparities and the need for targeted interventions is crucial for healthcare providers and policymakers to recognize and ensure equitable healthcare experiences; mitigating the impact of racial bias and improving satisfaction among all women, regardless of race or ethnicity.