Racial disparity in emergency department triage

Racial inequities in point-of-care ultrasound for pregnancy

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Racial inequities are pervasive throughout healthcare. We sought to assess if race and ethnicity are associated with emergency department (ED) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) usage compared with radiology-ordered ultrasounds as our primary outcome and a secondary outcome of nurse-driven ultrasound ordering for early pregnancy.

METHODS

In this retrospective, observational cohort study between June 2015 and December 2021, we assessed ED physician POCUS use in relation to Radiology (RADUS) ultrasound for first trimester pregnancy with race and ethnicity as our primary variable. A secondary outcome assessed if race and ethnicity impacted nursing-driven ultrasound ordering. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were created to test relationships and interactions with clinical variables. Given the overlap of language and race/ethnicity, a multivariate model with language as the primary variable was included.

RESULTS

No significant differences based on race and ethnicity were found for the selection of POCUS versus RADUS (n = 2337: χ2 = 5.25, p = 0.155). For the secondary outcome, 1694 of 7662 (22.1 %) patients received a nurse ultrasound order. Hispanic/Latino patients had increased odds of receiving a nurse-driven order (aOR 1.25, 95 % CI 1.009-1.549) and those of other or unknown race/ethnicity (aOR 1.357, 95 %CI 1.043-1.765) when language was excluded; in addition to Non-English speakers (OR 1.213, 95 %CI 1.072-1.372) with race excluded.

CONCLUSIONS

For first trimester pregnancy complaints, race and ethnicity did not alter POCUS usage by ED physicians. Secondary analysis showed race and ethnicity differences in nurse-driven orders, however collinearity between the primary outcome and language makes it difficult to assess the magnitude of these factors.

Examining racial, ethnic, and gender representation of applicants and matriculants to emergency medicine residency programs from 2005 to 2021

Objectives

The emergency medicine (EM) patient population is racially and ethnically diverse, and the presence of racial and gender minority physicians may help overcome health disparities among these patients. The purpose of this study was to examine representation and its trends of racial, ethnic, and gender identities entering the EM workforce.

Methods

Reports on race, ethnicity, and gender for medical school graduates, EM applicants, and residents were obtained for the years 2005-2021. Racial and ethnic groups included Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White; gender identities included men and women. The proportion of each identity in each cohort was divided by a denominator of their corresponding U.S. medical school graduate proportion, producing representation quotients among applicants and matriculants (RQapp, RQmat) that refer to the group's medical school graduate representation. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used on RQ averages to assess for differences in representation among applicants compared to matriculants. Linear regressions of yearly RQs were used to assess representation trends.

Results

Men who self-identified as Black (RQapp 1.50), Hispanic (RQapp 1.84), or White (RQapp 1.15) had the highest EM applicant representation trend relative to other groups while making up 3.5%, 5.4%, and 36.3% of all applicants, respectively. Asian women were the least represented group among applicants (RQapp 0.52), dropping from 10.7% of medical school graduates to 5.7% of EM residency applicants. Among EM matriculants, Hispanic men (RQmat 1.56) and White men (RQmat 1.43) were the only overrepresented groups. Linear regression indicated that nearly all groups had significant increases in applicant representation over time, except for Asian women and Black men. White men and White women were the only two groups to experience increases in matriculant representation compared to their applicant counterparts.

Conclusions

Asian men, Asian women, and Black women remain underrepresented in EM residencies. Additional recruitment efforts to ensure their equitable representation are necessary in future application cycles.

Triage gap? Analysis of admission rates, service utilisation and mortality for First Nations patients compared to non-First Nations patients, stratified by ED triage category

BACKGROUND

First Nations patients often experience poorer health outcomes than non-First Nations patients. Despite emergency triage primarily focusing on severity, implying comparable outcomes for patients in the same triage group regardless of demographics, the precision of triage for First-Nations Australians may be undermined by multiple factors, although research in this area is scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To compare admission rates, service utilisation and mortality for First Nations and non-First Nations patients, based on their triage categories.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study utilised data for all adults presenting between January 2016 and May 2021, to Alice Springs Hospital; totalling 175 199 presentations from 39 882 individual patients. Data were analysed for differences between First Nations and non-First nations patients for outcomes including 30-day mortality, admission to hospital and admission to ICU.

RESULTS

First Nations patients had significantly higher admission than non-First Nations patients across all triage categories (P < 0.001). First Nations patients in categories 3 and 4 had a significantly higher 30-day mortality (P = 0.039, P = 0.045, respectively). First Nations patients in categories 2 and 3 were significantly more likely to be admitted to ICU (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

First Nations patients appear to have worse outcomes than non-First Nations patients in the same triage category. Socio-economic factors and high discharge against advice rates from wards may explain the significantly higher admission rate. Under-recognition of serious illness at triage could be attributed to communication issues or a 'well bias'. The results raise many questions and further investigation is required.

Investigating Racial Disparities in Chemical and Physical Restraint of Mental Health Patients in the Emergency Department

The primary aim of this study is to examine whether racial disparities exist in the use of physical or chemical restraints in the emergency department (ED). The secondary aim is to explore if there are disparities in type or intensity of restraint. We examined ED encounters for acute mental health crises from a single health system over a 3-year period. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine associations of race/ethnicity with primary outcomes of physical and/or chemical restraint and a measure of restraint intensity among patients physically restrained. The study sample included 18,938 ED encounters with completed psychiatric consultations representing 13,316 unique patients. Restraint use was experienced by one-third of the sample (32.6%): 27.9% chemical restraint, 0.8% physical restraint, 3.9% both physical and chemical. In adjusted logistic regression models, odds of chemical restraint were lower for non-Hispanic (NH) Black (OR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.74, 0.93), NH Asian (OR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.83), and Hispanic (OR 0.79, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.95) patients relative to NH White, with no difference for NH American Indian and multiracial. In the models assessing physical restraint use, there were no statistically significant differences by race/ethnicity. Among patients who were physically restrained, there were no differences in the adjusted models of high versus low intensity of the restraint type used. Among ED patients at high risk for restraint, patients of minority race/ethnicity were not found to have increased likelihood of restraint or intensity of restraint.

Triage at shift changes and distortions in the perception and treatment of emergency patients

Employing more than 2 million emergency department (ED) records, we combine machine learning and regression discontinuity to document novel distortions in triage nurses' assessments of patients' conditions and investigate the short- and medium-term consequences for patients. We show that triage nurses progressively become more lenient during their shifts, and identical ED patients arriving just after a shift change are thus assigned a lower priority. We show that these patients receive lower levels of care and require additional emergency care afterward. We conclude that distortions in nurses' initial assessments of urgency bias' medical staff's perceptions.

Disparities in Delirium across the Continuum of Care and Associations with Social Determinants of Health

Disparities exist in the identification, treatment, and management of delirium. These disparities can be most holistically and comprehensively understood by using a social-ecological model-which acknowledges multilevel impacts including individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy-level factors-as well as a social determinant of health framework, that considers nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. This narrative review leverages both frameworks to identify and discuss existing literature pertaining to the intersection of these social risk factors and delirium, focusing specifically on disparities due to racial and/or ethnic identity, language ability, and socioeconomic differences. We also look at disparities and the potential role of these social risk factors throughout the continuum of care, including prehospitalization, hospitalization, and posthospitalization factors. Understanding and analyzing the role of these inequities is critical to ensuring better health outcomes for patients at risk of and/or with delirium.

Racial differences in laboratory testing as a potential mechanism for bias in AI: A matched cohort analysis in emergency department visits

AI models are often trained using available laboratory test results. Racial differences in laboratory testing may bias AI models for clinical decision support, amplifying existing inequities. This study aims to measure the extent of racial differences in laboratory testing in adult emergency department (ED) visits. We conducted a retrospective 1:1 exact-matched cohort study of Black and White adult patients seen in the ED, matching on age, biological sex, chief complaint, and ED triage score, using ED visits at two U.S. teaching hospitals: Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI (U-M, 2015-2022), and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA (BIDMC, 2011-2019). Post-matching, White patients had significantly higher testing rates than Black patients for complete blood count (BIDMC difference: 1.7%, 95% CI: 1.1% to 2.4%, U-M difference: 2.0%, 95% CI: 1.6% to 2.5%), metabolic panel (BIDMC: 1.5%, 95% CI: 0.9% to 2.1%, U-M: 1.9%, 95% CI: 1.4% to 2.4%), and blood culture (BIDMC: 0.9%, 95% CI: 0.5% to 1.2%, U-M: 0.7%, 95% CI: 0.4% to 1.1%). Black patients had significantly higher testing rates for troponin than White patients (BIDMC: -2.1%, 95% CI: -2.6% to -1.6%, U-M: -2.2%, 95% CI: -2.7% to -1.8%). The observed racial testing differences may impact AI models trained using available laboratory results. The findings also motivate further study of how such differences arise and how to mitigate potential impacts on AI models.

Identifying Patient Subpopulations with Significant Race-Sex Differences in Emergency Department Disposition Decisions

Background/objectives

The race-sex differences in emergency department (ED) disposition decisions have been reported widely. Our objective is to identify demographic and clinical subgroups for which this difference is most pronounced, which will facilitate future targeted research on potential disparities and interventions.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 93 987 White and African-American adults assigned an Emergency Severity Index of 3 at 3 large EDs from January 2019 to February 2020. Using random forests, we identified the Elixhauser comorbidity score, age, and insurance status as important variables to divide data into subpopulations. Logistic regression models were then fitted to test race-sex differences within each subpopulation while controlling for other patient characteristics and ED conditions.

Results

In each subpopulation, African-American women were less likely to be admitted than White men with odds ratios as low as 0.304 (95% confidence interval (CI): [0.229, 0.404]). African-American men had smaller admission odds compared to White men in subpopulations of 41+ years of age or with very low/high Elixhauser scores, odds ratios being as low as 0.652 (CI: [0.590, 0.747]). White women were less likely to be admitted than White men in subpopulations of 18 to 40 or 41 to 64 years of age, with low Elixhauser scores, or with Self-Pay or Medicaid insurance status with odds ratios as low as 0.574 (CI: [0.421, 0.784]).

Conclusions

While differences in likelihood of admission were lessened by younger age for African-American men, and by older age, higher Elixhauser score, and Medicare or Commercial insurance for White women, they persisted in all subgroups for African-American women. In general, patients of age 64 years or younger, with low comorbidity scores, or with Medicaid or no insurance appeared most prone to potential disparities in admissions.

Race and Ethnicity and Diagnostic Testing for Common Conditions in the Acute Care Setting

Importance

Overuse of diagnostic testing is pervasive, but the extent to which it varies by race and ethnicity in the acute care setting is poorly understood.

Objective

To use a previously validated diagnostic intensity index to evaluate differences in diagnostic testing rates by race and ethnicity in the acute care setting, which may serve as a surrogate for diagnostic test overuse.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This was a cross-sectional study of emergency department (ED) discharges, hospital observation stays, and hospital admissions using administrative claims among EDs and acute care hospitals in Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, and New Jersey, from 2016 through 2018. The diagnostic intensity index pairs nonspecific principal discharge diagnoses (nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, and syncope) with related diagnostic tests to estimate rates of nondiagnostic testing. Adults with an acute care encounter with a principal discharge diagnosis of interest were included. Data were analyzed from January to February 2024.

Exposure

Race and ethnicity (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, other [including American Indian, multiracial, and multiethnic], and missing).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Receipt of a diagnostic test. Generalized linear models with a hospital-specific indicator variable were estimated to calculate the adjusted odds ratio of receiving a test related to the principal discharge diagnosis by race and ethnicity, controlling for primary payer and zip code income quartile.

Results

Of 3 683 055 encounters (1 055 575 encounters [28.7%] for Black, 300 333 encounters [8.2%] for Hispanic, and 2 140 335 encounters [58.1%] for White patients; mean [SD] age of patients with encounters, 47.3 [18.8] years; 2 233 024 encounters among females [60.6%]), most (2 969 974 encounters [80.6%]) were ED discharges. Black compared with White patients discharged from the ED with a diagnosis of interest had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.74 (95% CI, 0.72-0.75) of having related diagnostic testing. No other racial or ethnic disparities of a similar magnitude were observed in any acute care settings.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, White patients discharged from the ED with a nonspecific diagnosis of interest were significantly more likely than Black patients to receive related diagnostic testing. The extent to which this represents diagnostic test overuse in White patients vs undertesting and missed diagnoses in Black patients deserves further study.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Emergency Department Wait Times for Headache

Headache is a common complaint of individuals seeking treatment in the emergency department (ED). Because pain is subjective, medical evaluation is susceptible to implicit bias that can lead to disparities in wait times. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are racial and ethnic disparities in ED wait times for headache. Our study used the 2015-2018 National Hospital Ambulatory Care Surveys (NHAMCS), a nationally representative sample of ambulatory care visits to EDs. Our sample consisted of visits made by adults for headaches, which were identified using ICD-10 diagnosis codes and NHAMCS reason for visit codes. There were 12,301,655 ED visits for headache represented by our sample. The mean wait time for headache visits was 38.1 min (95%CI: 31.1, 45.0). The mean wait time for Non-Hispanic White patients, non-Hispanic Black patients, Hispanic patients, and the other race and ethnicity groups were 34.7 min (95%CI: 27.5, 42.0), 46.4 min (95%CI: 26.5, 66.4), 37.9 min (95%CI: 19.4, 56.3), and 21.0 min (95%CI: 6.3, 35.7) respectively. After controlling for patient- and hospital-level covariates, visits by non-Hispanic Black patients had 40% (95%CI: -0.01, 0.81, p = 0.056) longer wait times and visits by Hispanic patients had 39% (95%CI: -0.03, 0.80, p = 0.068) longer wait times than visits by non-Hispanic White patients. While our findings suggest that there may be longer wait times for visits by non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic patients compared to visits by non-Hispanic White patients, further research is needed to confirm these findings and determine causes of wait times disparities in the ED.

Impact of community health workers on diabetes management in an urban United States Community with high diabetes burden through the COVID pandemic

Objective

Community Health Worker (CHW) interventions are promising approaches to increasing access to health care, garnering better health outcomes, and decreasing health inequities for historically marginalized populations. This study examines the impact of a health system-based CHW program embedded in the Diabetes Impact Project - Indianapolis Neighborhoods (DIP-IN), a large, place-based, multi-year intervention to reduce diabetes burden. We assessed the CHW program's effectiveness in managing glucose control and reducing diabetes-associated complications across the COVID timeline.

Methods

We examined the association between the CHW intervention and diabetes management in 454 CHW patients and 1,020 propensity score-matched comparison patients. Using electronic medical records for encounters between January 1, 2017, and March 31, 2022, we estimated the CHW program effect using a difference-in-difference approach through generalized linear mixed models.

Results

Participation was associated with a significant reduction (-0.54-unit (95 % CI: -0.73, -0.35) in glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) on average over time that was beyond the change observed among comparison patients, higher odds of having ≥ 2 A1C measures in a year (OR = 2.32, 95 % CI: 1.79, 3.00), lower odds of ED visits (OR: 0.88; 95 % CI: 0.73, 1.05), and lower odds of hospital admission (OR: 0.81; 95 % CI: 0.60,1.09). When analyses were restricted to a pre-pandemic timeframe, the pattern of results were similar.

Conclusion

This program was effective in improving diabetes management among patients living in diabetes-burdened communities, and the effects were persistent throughout the pandemic timeline. CHW programs offer crucial reinforcement for diabetes management during periods when routine healthcare access is constrained.

Triage Accuracy in Pediatrics Using the Emergency Severity Index

INTRODUCTION

Although the Emergency Severity Index is the most widely used tool in the United States to prioritize care for patients who seek emergency care, including children, there are significant deficiencies in the tool's performance. Inaccurate triage has been associated with delayed treatment, unnecessary diagnostic testing, and bias in clinical care. We evaluated the accuracy of the Emergency Severity Index to stratify patient priority based on predicted resource utilization in pediatric emergency department patients and identified covariates influencing performance.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, retrospective study used a data platform that links clinical and research data sets from a single freestanding pediatric hospital in the United States. Chi-square analysis was used to describes rates of over- and undertriage. Mixed effects ordinal logistic regression identified associations between Emergency Severity Index categories assigned at triage and key emergency department resources using discrete data elements and natural language processing of text notes.

RESULTS

We analyzed 304,422 emergency department visits by 153,984 unique individuals in the final analysis; 80% of visits were triaged as lower acuity Emergency Severity Index levels 3 to 5, with the most common level being Emergency Severity Index 4 (43%). Emergency department visits scored Emergency Severity Index levels 3 and 4 were triaged accurately 46% and 38%, respectively. We noted racial differences in overall triage accuracy.

DISCUSSION

Although the plurality of patients was scored as Emergency Severity Index 4, 50% were mistriaged, and there were disparities based on race indicating Emergency Severity Index mistriages pediatric patients. Further study is needed to elucidate the application of the Emergency Severity Indices in pediatrics using a multicenter emergency department population with diverse clinical and demographic characteristics.

Patient sex, racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department triage: A multi-site retrospective study

OBJECTIVES

There is limited evidence on sex, racial, and ethnic disparities in Emergency Department (ED) triage across diverse settings. We evaluated differences in the assignment of Emergency Severity Index (ESI) by patient sex and race/ethnicity, accounting for age, clinical factors, and ED operating conditions.

METHODS

We conducted a multi-site retrospective study of adult patients presenting to high-volume EDs from January 2019-February 2020. Patient-level data were obtained and analyzed from three EDs (academic, metropolitan community, and rural community) affiliated with a large health system in the Southeastern United States. For the study outcome, ESI levels were grouped into three categories: 1-2 (highest acuity), 3, and 4-5 (lowest acuity). Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare ESI categories by patient race/ethnicity and sex jointly (referent = White males), adjusted for patient age, insurance status, ED arrival mode, chief complaint category, comorbidity score, time of day, day of week, and average ED wait time.

RESULTS

We identified 186,840 eligible ED visits with 56,417 from the academic ED, 69,698 from the metropolitan community ED, and 60,725 from the rural community ED. Patient cohorts between EDs varied by patient age, race/ethnicity, and insurance status. The majority of patients were assigned ESI 3 in the academic and metropolitan community EDs (61% and 62%, respectively) whereas 47% were assigned ESI 3 in the rural community ED. In adjusted analyses, White females were less likely to be assigned ESI 1-2 compared to White males although both groups were roughly comparable in the assignment of ESI 4-5. Non-White and Hispanic females were generally least likely to be assigned ESI 1-2 in all EDs. Interactions between ED wait time and race/ethnicity-sex were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

This retrospective study of adult ED patients revealed sex and race/ethnicity-based differences in ESI assignment, after accounting for age, clinical factors, and ED operating conditions. These disparities persisted across three different large EDs, highlighting the need for ongoing research to address inequities in ED triage decision-making and associated patient-centered outcomes.

Racial disparities in septic shock mortality: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Patients with septic shock have the highest risk of death from sepsis, however, racial disparities in mortality outcomes in this cohort have not been rigorously investigated. Our objective was to describe the association between race/ethnicity and mortality in patients with septic shock.

Methods

Our study is a retrospective cohort study of adult patients in the OneFlorida Data Trust (Florida, United States of America) admitted with septic shock between January 2012 and July 2018. We identified patients as having septic shock if they received vasopressors during their hospital encounter and had either an explicit International Classification of Disease (ICD) code for sepsis, or had an infection ICD code and received intravenous antibiotics. Our primary outcome was 90-day mortality. Our secondary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Multiple logistic regression with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) for variable selection was used to assess associations.

Findings

There were 13,932 patients with septic shock in our cohort. The mean age was 61 years (SD 16), 68% of the cohort identified as White (n = 9419), 28% identified as Black (n = 3936), 2% (n = 294) identified as Hispanic ethnicity, and 2% as other races not specified in the previous groups (n = 283). In our logistic regression model for 90-day mortality, patients identified as Black had 1.57 times the odds of mortality (95% CI 1.07-2.29, p = 0.02) compared to White patients. Other significant predictors included mechanical ventilation (OR 3.66, 95% CI 3.35-4.00, p < 0.01), liver disease (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.59-1.93, p < 0.01), laboratory components of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.16-1.21, p < 0.01), lactate (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.08-1.12, p < 0.01), congestive heart failure (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.10-1.30, p < 0.01), human immunodeficiency virus (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.04-1.75, p = 0.03), age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.04-1.04, p < 0.01), and the interaction between age and race (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.99-1.00, p < 0.01). Among younger patients (<45 years), patients identified as Black accounted for a higher proportion of the deaths. Results were similar in the in-hospital mortality model.

Interpretation

In this retrospective study of septic shock patients, we found that patients identified as Black had higher odds of mortality compared to patients identified as non-Hispanic White. Our findings suggest that the greatest disparities in mortality are among younger Black patients with septic shock.

Funding

National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (1KL2TR001429); National Institute of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences (1K23GM144802).

Ethnoracial disparities in care on a consultation-liaison service at an academic hospital

BACKGROUND

There is currently an increasing recognition of and focus on structural and institutional racism and its impacts on health disparities. In psychiatry and mental health, research has focused on racial and ethnic disparities in the availability and utilization of mental health services, care in emergency departments, and inpatient psychiatric services. Little is known about disparities in care on general hospital psychiatry consultation-liaison (CL) services.

METHODS

In this exploratory study, we conducted a retrospective chart review using electronic health record (EHR) data of all adults (≥ 18 years of age) admitted to inpatient medical or surgical floors at an urban academic medical center for whom a psychiatric consultation was requested during the study period. We examined differences by race and ethnicity in: rates of consultation requests; use of legal holds, constant observation, restraints; follow-up by the CL service; and ultimate disposition.

RESULTS

The service received 310 unique consults during the study period. Compared to hospital-wide numbers, Black-identifying patients were over-represented in our sample (11.9% vs 6.6%), while Latinx patients were underrepresented (6.1% vs 9.8%). Of the clinical and outcome variables collected, there were higher odds of being placed on a legal hold both prior to (OR 2.6) and after the consult question (OR 2.98) and in the odds of having a one-to-one observer prior to (OR 2.47) and after (OR 2.9) the initial consult visit for Black-identifying patients, when adjusting for confounders. There were no other measurable differences in care or outcomes by racial or ethnic categories.

CONCLUSION

Black-identifying patients may be more likely to receive psychiatric consultation and be placed on legal holds because of a combination of chronic adverse social determinants of health and race-based bias. Conversely, Latinx patients may be less likely to receive psychiatric consultation because of language barriers among other factors. The lack of disparities identified in other domains may be encouraging, but larger studies are needed. Further research is also needed to identify causality and interventions that could help close the gap in care and outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities.

Applications of natural language processing at emergency department triage: A narrative review

INTRODUCTION

Natural language processing (NLP) uses various computational methods to analyse and understand human language, and has been applied to data acquired at Emergency Department (ED) triage to predict various outcomes. The objective of this scoping review is to evaluate how NLP has been applied to data acquired at ED triage, assess if NLP based models outperform humans or current risk stratification techniques when predicting outcomes, and assess if incorporating free-text improve predictive performance of models when compared to predictive models that use only structured data.

METHODS

All English language peer-reviewed research that applied an NLP technique to free-text obtained at ED triage was eligible for inclusion. We excluded studies focusing solely on disease surveillance, and studies that used information obtained after triage. We searched the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, and Scopus for medical subject headings and text keywords related to NLP and triage. Databases were last searched on 01/01/2022. Risk of bias in studies was assessed using the Prediction model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST). Due to the high level of heterogeneity between studies and high risk of bias, a metanalysis was not conducted. Instead, a narrative synthesis is provided.

RESULTS

In total, 3730 studies were screened, and 20 studies were included. The population size varied greatly between studies ranging from 1.8 million patients to 598 triage notes. The most common outcomes assessed were prediction of triage score, prediction of admission, and prediction of critical illness. NLP models achieved high accuracy in predicting need for admission, triage score, critical illness, and mapping free-text chief complaints to structured fields. Incorporating both structured data and free-text data improved results when compared to models that used only structured data. However, the majority of studies (80%) were assessed to have a high risk of bias, and only one study reported the deployment of an NLP model into clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

Unstructured free-text triage notes have been used by NLP models to predict clinically relevant outcomes. However, the majority of studies have a high risk of bias, most research is retrospective, and there are few examples of implementation into clinical practice. Future work is needed to prospectively assess if applying NLP to data acquired at ED triage improves ED outcomes when compared to usual clinical practice.

Exploring the impact of missingness on racial disparities in predictive performance of a machine learning model for emergency department triage

Objective

To investigate how missing data in the patient problem list may impact racial disparities in the predictive performance of a machine learning (ML) model for emergency department (ED) triage.

Materials and Methods

Racial disparities may exist in the missingness of EHR data (eg, systematic differences in access, testing, and/or treatment) that can impact model predictions across racialized patient groups. We use an ML model that predicts patients' risk for adverse events to produce triage-level recommendations, patterned after a clinical decision support tool deployed at multiple EDs. We compared the model's predictive performance on sets of observed (problem list data at the point of triage) versus manipulated (updated to the more complete problem list at the end of the encounter) test data. These differences were compared between Black and non-Hispanic White patient groups using multiple performance measures relevant to health equity.

Results

There were modest, but significant, changes in predictive performance comparing the observed to manipulated models across both Black and non-Hispanic White patient groups; c-statistic improvement ranged between 0.027 and 0.058. The manipulation produced no between-group differences in c-statistic by race. However, there were small between-group differences in other performance measures, with greater change for non-Hispanic White patients.

Discussion

Problem list missingness impacted model performance for both patient groups, with marginal differences detected by race.

Conclusion

Further exploration is needed to examine how missingness may contribute to racial disparities in clinical model predictions across settings. The novel manipulation method demonstrated may aid future research.

Characteristics of Patients Restrained in the Emergency Department and Evaluation for Disparities in Care

BACKGROUND

Physical restraints are used in the emergency department (ED) for agitated patients to prevent self-harm and protect staff. Prior studies identified associations between sociodemographic factors and ED physical restraints use.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective was to compare characteristics of ED patients receiving physical restraints for violent and nonviolent indications vs. patients who were not restrained. The secondary objective was to compare rates of restraint use among ED providers.

METHODS

This was a single-center cross-sectional study of adult ED patients from March 2019 to February 2021. Factors compared across groups were age over 50 years, gender, race, ethnicity, insurance, housing, primary language, Emergency Severity Index, time of arrival, mode of arrival, chief complaint, and medical admission. Odds ratios were reported. Rates of emergency physician restraint orders were compared using the chi-square test.

RESULTS

Restraints were used in 1228 (0.9%) visits. Younger age, male gender, "unknown" ethnicity, self-pay or "other" nonprivate insurance, homelessness, arrival by first responders, and medical hospitalization were associated with increased odds of restraint. Black patients had lower odds of any restraint than White patients (odds ratio 0.93; 95% confidence interval 0.79-1.09) and higher odds of violent restraint than White patients, although not significant (odds ratio 1.55; 95% confidence interval 0.95-2.54). ED providers had significant differences in total and violent restraint use (p-values < 0.0001 and 0.0003, respectively).

CONCLUSION

At this institution, certain sociodemographic characteristics were associated with receiving both types of physical restraint. Emergency physicians also differed in restraint-ordering practice. Further investigation is needed to understand the influence of implicit bias on ED restraint use.

Impact of Race, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status on Symptom Severity at Time of Urologic Referral

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The Dysfunctional Voiding and Incontinence Scoring System (DVISS) is a validated tool to evaluate lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) severity in children. DVISS provides a quantitative score (0-35) including a quality-of-life measure, with higher values indicating more/worse symptoms. Clinically, variability exists in symptom severity when patients present to pediatric urology with LUTD. We hypothesized that symptom severity at consultation varied based on race, gender, and/or socioeconomic status.

METHODS

All urology encounters at a single institution with completed modified DVISS scores 6/2015-3/2018 were reviewed. Initial visits for patients 5-21 years old with non-neurogenic LUTD were included. Patients with neurologic disorders or genitourinary tract anomalies were excluded. Wilcoxon rank sum tests compared scores between White and Black patients and between male and female patients. Multiple regression models examined relationships among race, gender, estimated median household income, and insurance payor type. All statistics were performed using Stata 15.

RESULTS

In total, 4086 initial patient visits for non-neurogenic LUTD were identified. Median DVISS scores were higher in Black (10) versus White (8) patients (p < 0.001). Symptom severity was higher in females (9) versus males (8) (p < 0.001). When estimated median income and insurance payer types were introduced into a multiple regression model, race, gender, and insurance payer type were significantly associated with symptom severity at presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

Race, gender, and socioeconomic status significantly impact LUTS severity at the time of urologic consultation. Future studies are needed to clarify the etiologies of these disparities and to determine their clinical significance.

Sociodemographic Disparities in Queue Jumping for Emergency Department Care

Importance

Emergency department (ED) triage models are intended to queue patients for treatment. In the absence of higher acuity, patients of the same acuity should room in order of arrival.

Objective

To characterize disparities in ED care access as unexplained queue jumps (UQJ), or instances in which acuity and first come, first served principles are violated.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Retrospective, cross-sectional study between July 2017 and February 2020. Participants were all ED patient arrivals at 2 EDs within a large Northeast health system. Data were analyzed from July to September 2022.

Exposure

UQJ was defined as a patient being placed in a treatment space ahead of a patient of higher acuity or of a same acuity patient who arrived earlier.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Primary outcomes were odds of a UQJ and association with ED outcomes of hallway placement, leaving before treatment complete, escalation to higher level of care while awaiting inpatient bed placement, and 72-hour ED revisitation. Secondary analysis examined UQJs among high acuity ED arrivals. Regression models (zero-inflated Poisson and logistic regression) adjusted for patient demographics and ED operational variables at time of triage.

Results

Of 314 763 included study visits, 170 391 (54.1%) were female, the mean (SD) age was 50.46 (20.5) years, 132 813 (42.2%) patients were non-Hispanic White, 106 401 (33.8%) were non-Hispanic Black, and 66 465 (21.1%) were Hispanic or Latino. Overall, 90 698 (28.8%) patients experienced a queue jump, and 78 127 (24.8%) and 44 551 (14.2%) patients were passed over by a patient of the same acuity or lower acuity, respectively. A total of 52 959 (16.8%) and 23 897 (7.6%) patients received care ahead of a patient of the same acuity or higher acuity, respectively. Patient demographics including Medicaid insurance (incident rate ratio [IRR], 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.14), Black non-Hispanic race (IRR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.03-1.07), Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (IRR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08), and Spanish as primary language (IRR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10) were independent social factors associated with being passed over. The odds of a patient receiving care ahead of others were lower for ED visits by Medicare insured (odds ratio [OR], 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96), Medicaid insured (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.77-0.85), Black non-Hispanic (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.97), and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.83-0.91). Patients who were passed over by someone of the same triage severity level had higher odds of hallway bed placement (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02) and leaving before disposition (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study of ED patients in triage, there were consistent disparities among marginalized populations being more likely to experience a UQJ, hallway placement, and leaving without receiving treatment despite being assigned the same triage acuity as others. EDs should seek to standardize triage processes to mitigate conscious and unconscious biases that may be associated with timely access to emergency care.

Racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department-initiated buprenorphine across five health care systems

BACKGROUND

Opioid overdose deaths have disproportionately impacted Black and Hispanic populations, in part due to disparities in treatment access. Emergency departments (EDs) serve as a resource for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), many of whom have difficulty accessing outpatient addiction programs. However, inequities in ED treatment for OUD remain poorly understood.

METHODS

This secondary analysis examined racial and ethnic differences in buprenorphine access using data from EMBED, a study of 21 EDs across five health care systems evaluating a clinical decision support system for initiating ED buprenorphine. The primary outcome was receipt of buprenorphine, ED administered or prescribed. Hospital type (academic vs. community) was evaluated as an effect modifier. Hierarchical models with cluster effects for site and clinician were used to assess buprenorphine receipt by race and ethnicity.

RESULTS

Black patients were less likely to receive buprenorphine (6.4% [51/801] vs. White patients 8.5% [268/3154], odds ratio [OR] 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.78). This association persisted after adjusting for age, insurance, gender, clinician X-waiver, hospital type, and urbanicity (adjusted OR [aOR] 0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.84) but not when discharge diagnosis was included (aOR 0.75, 95% CI 0.56-1.02). Hispanic patients were more likely to receive buprenorphine (14.8% [122/822] vs. non-Hispanic patients, 11.6% [475/4098]) in unadjusted (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.09-1.83) and adjusted models (aOR 1.41, 95% CI 1.08-1.83) but not including discharge diagnosis (aOR 1.32, 95% CI 0.99-1.77). Odds of buprenorphine were similar in academic and community EDs by race (interaction p = 0.97) and ethnicity (interaction p = 0.64).

CONCLUSIONS

Black patients with OUD were less likely to receive buprenorphine whereas Hispanic patients were more likely to receive buprenorphine in academic and community EDs. Differences were attenuated with discharge diagnosis, as fewer Black and non-Hispanic patients were diagnosed with opioid withdrawal. Barriers to medication treatment are heterogenous among patients with OUD; research must continue to address the multiple drivers of health inequities at the patient, clinician, and community level.

Disparities in Care Among Gunshot Victims: A Nationwide Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Given the well-known healthcare disparities most pronounced in racial and ethnic minorities, trauma healthcare in underrepresented patients should be examined, as in-hospital bias may influence the care rendered to patients. This study seeks to examine racial differences in outcomes and resource utilization among victims of gunshot wounds in the United States.

METHODS

This is a retrospective review of the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) conducted from 2007 to 2017. The NTDB was queried for patients who suffered a gunshot wound not related to accidental injury or suicide. Patients were stratified according to race. The primary outcome for this study was mortality. Secondary outcomes included racial differences in resource utilization including air transport and discharge to rehabilitation centers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare differences in outcomes between the groups.

RESULTS

A total of 250,675 patients were included in the analysis. After regression analysis, Black patients were noted to have greater odds of death compared to White patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, confidence interval [CI] 1.037-1.244; P = 0.006) and decreased odds of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR 0.76, CI 0.732-0.794; P < 0.001). Hispanic patients were significantly less likely to be discharged to rehabilitation centers (Hispanic: 0.78, CI 0.715-0.856; P < 0.001). Black patients had the shortest time to death (median time in minutes: White 49 interquartile range [IQR] [9-437] versus Black 24 IQR [7-205] versus Hispanic 39 IQR [8-379] versus Asian 60 [9-753], P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

As society carefully examines major institutions for implicit bias, healthcare should not be exempt. Greater mortality among Black patients, along with differences in other important outcome measures, demonstrate disparities that encourage further analysis of causes and solutions to these issues.

Evaluation of the Emergency Severity Index in US Emergency Departments for the Rate of Mistriage

Importance

Accurate emergency department (ED) triage is essential to prioritize the most critically ill patients and distribute resources appropriately. The most used triage system in the US is the Emergency Severity Index (ESI).

Objectives

To derive and validate an algorithm to assess the rate of mistriage and to identify characteristics associated with mistriage.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study created operational definitions for each ESI level that use ED visit electronic health record data to classify encounters as undertriaged, overtriaged, or correctly triaged. These definitions were applied to a retrospective cohort to assess variation in triage accuracy by facility and patient characteristics in 21 EDs within the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) health care system. All ED encounters by patients 18 years and older between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020, were assessed for eligibility. Encounters with missing ESI or incomplete ED time variables and patients who left against medical advice or without being seen were excluded. Data were analyzed between January 1, 2021, and November 30, 2022.

Exposures

Assigned ESI level.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Rate of undertriage and overtriage by assigned ESI level based on a mistriage algorithm and patient and visit characteristics associated with undertriage and overtriage.

Results

A total of 5 315 176 ED encounters were included. The mean (SD) patient age was 52 (21) years; 44.3% of patients were men and 55.7% were women. In terms of race and ethnicity, 11.1% of participants were Asian, 15.1% were Black, 21.4% were Hispanic, 44.0% were non-Hispanic White, and 8.5% were of other (includes American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and multiple races or ethnicities), unknown, or missing race or ethnicity. Mistriage occurred in 1 713 260 encounters (32.2%), of which 176 131 (3.3%) were undertriaged and 1 537 129 (28.9%) were overtriaged. The sensitivity of ESI to identify a patient with high-acuity illness (correctly assigning ESI I or II among patients who had a life-stabilizing intervention) was 65.9%. In adjusted analyses, Black patients had a 4.6% (95% CI, 4.3%-4.9%) greater relative risk of overtriage and an 18.5% (95% CI, 16.9%-20.0%) greater relative risk of undertriage compared with White patients, while Black male patients had a 9.9% (95% CI, 9.8%-10.0%) greater relative risk of overtriage and a 41.0% (95% CI, 40.0%-41.9%) greater relative risk of undertriage compared with White female patients. High relative risk of undertriage was found among patients taking high-risk medications (30.3% [95% CI, 28.3%-32.4%]) and those with a greater comorbidity burden (22.4% [95% CI, 20.1%-24.4%]) and recent intensive care unit utilization (36.7% [95% CI, 30.5%-41.4%]).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this retrospective cohort study of over 5 million ED encounters, mistriage with ESI was common. Quality improvement should focus on limiting critical undertriage, optimizing resource allocation by patient need, and promoting equity.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Emergency Department Wait Times for Patients with Substance Use Disorder

BACKGROUND

Substance use-related morbidity and mortality rates are at an all-time high in the United States, yet there remains significant stigma and discrimination in emergency medicine about patients with this condition.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are racial and ethnic differences in emergency department (ED) wait times among patients with substance use disorder.

METHODS

The study uses pooled data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 2016 to 2018. The dependent variable is length of time the patient with a diagnosis of substance use disorder waited in the ED before being admitted for care. The independent variable is patient race and ethnicity. Adjusted analyses were conducted using a generalized linear model.

RESULTS

There were a total of 3995 reported ED events among patients reporting a substance use disorder in the NHAMCS sample between 2016 and 2018. After adjusting for covariates, Black patients with substance use disorder were significantly more likely to wait longer in the ED (35% longer) than White patients with substance use disorder (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings showed that Black patients with substance use disorder are waiting 35% longer, on average, than White patients with the same condition. This is concerning, given that emergency medicine is a critical frontline of care, and often the only source of care, for these patients. Furthermore, longer wait times can increase the likelihood of leaving the ED without being seen. Programs and policies should address potential stigma and discrimination among providers, and EDs should consider adding people with lived experiences to the staff to serve as peer recovery specialists and bridge the gap for care.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Emergency Department Wait Times for Children: Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of race and ethnicity with wait times for children in US emergency departments (ED).

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study of ED encounters of children (<18 years) from 2014 to 2019 using a multistage survey of nonfederal US ED encounters. Our primary variable of interest was composite race and ethnicity: non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and all others. Our outcome was ED wait time in minutes. We evaluated the association between race and ethnicity and wait time in Weibull regression models that sequentially added variables of acuity, demographics, hospital factors, and region/urbanicity.

RESULTS

We included 163,768,956 survey-weighted encounters. In univariable analysis, Hispanic children had a lower hazard ratio (HR) of progressing to evaluation (HR 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-0.93) relative to NHW children, indicating longer ED wait times. This association persisted in serial multivariable models incorporating acuity, demographics, and hospital factors. This association was not observed when incorporating variables of hospital region and urbanicity (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83-1.00). In subgroup analysis, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with longer wait times in pediatric EDs (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.63-0.92), non-metropolitan EDs (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.89), and the Midwest region (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.87). No differences in wait times were observed for children of Black race or other races.

CONCLUSIONS

Hispanic children experienced longer ED wait times across serial multivariable models, with significant differences limited to pediatric, metropolitan, and Midwest EDs. These results highlight the presence of disparities in access to prompt emergency care for children.

Racial disparities in emergency medicine: Implementation of a novel educational module in the emergency medicine clerkship

Objectives

Despite decades of literature recognizing racial disparities (RDs) in emergency medicine (EM), published curricula dedicated to addressing them are sparse. We present details of our novel RD curriculum for EM clerkships and its educational outcomes.

Methods

We created a 30-min interactive didactic module on the topic designed for third- and fourth-year medical students enrolled in our EM clerkships. Through a modified Delphi process, education faculty and content experts in RD developed a 10-question multiple-choice test of knowledge on RD that the students completed immediately prior to and 2 weeks following the activity. Students also completed a Likert-style learner satisfaction survey. Median pre- and posttest scores were compared using a paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test and presented using medians and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Satisfaction survey responses were dichotomized into favorable and neutral/not favorable.

Results

For the 36 students who completed the module, the median pretest score was 40% (95% CI 36%-50%) and the posttest score was 70% (95% CI 60%-70%) with a p-value of <0.001. Thirty-five of the 36 students improved on the posttest with a mean increase of 24.2% (95% CI 20.2-28.2). The satisfaction survey also showed a positive response, with at least 83% of participants responding favorably to all statements (overall mean favorable response 93%, 95% CI 90%-96%).ConclusionsThis EM-based module on RD led to improvement in students' knowledge on the topic and positive reception by participants. This is a feasible option for educating students in EM on the topic of RD.

Disparities in emergency department prioritization and rooming of patients with similar triage acuity score

BACKGROUND

We identify patient demographic and emergency department (ED) characteristics associated with rooming prioritization decisions among ED patients who are assigned the same triage acuity score.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of adult ED patients with similar triage acuity, as defined as an Emergency Severity Index (ESI) of 3, at a large academic medical center, during 2019. Violations of a first-come-first-served (FCFS) policy for rooming are identified and used to create weighted multiple logistic regression models and 1:M matched case-control conditional logistic regression models to determine how rooming prioritization is affected by individual patient age, sex, race, and ethnicity after adjusting for patient clinical and time-varying ED operational characteristics.

RESULTS

A total of 15,781 ED encounters were analyzed, with 1612 (10.2%) ED encounters having a rooming prioritization in violation of a FCFS policy. Patient age and race were found to be significantly associated with being prioritized in violation of FCFS in both logistic regression models. The 1:M matched model showed a statistically significant relationship between violation of rooming prioritization with increasing age in years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.009, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.005-1.013) and among African American patients compared to Caucasians (aOR 0.636, 95% CI 0.545-0.743).

CONCLUSIONS

Among ED patients with a similar triage acuity (ESI 3), we identified patient age and patient race as characteristics that were associated with deviation from a FCFS prioritization in ED rooming decisions. These findings suggest that there may be patient demographic disparities in ED rooming decisions after adjusting for clinical and ED operational characteristics.

Cognitive and implicit biases in nurses' judgment and decision-making: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Cognitive and implicit biases of healthcare providers can lead to adverse events in healthcare and have been identified as a patient safety concern. Most research on the impact of these systematic errors in judgment has been focused on diagnostic decision-making, primarily by physicians. As the largest component of the workforce, nurses make numerous decisions that affect patient outcomes; however, literature on nurses' clinical judgment often overlooks the potential impact of bias on these decisions. The aim of this study was to map the evidence and key concepts related to bias in nurses' judgment and decision-making, including interventions to correct or overcome these biases.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review using Joanna Briggs methodology. In November 2020 we searched CINAHL, PsychInfo, and PubMed databases to identify relevant literature. Inclusion criteria were primary research about nurses' bias; evidence of a nursing decision or action; and English language. No date or geographic limitations were set.

RESULTS

We found 77 items that met the inclusion criteria. Over half of these items were published in the last 12 years. Most research focused on implicit biases related to racial/ethnic identity, obesity, and gender; other articles examined confirmation, attribution, anchoring, and hindsight biases. Some articles examined heuristics and were included if they described the process of, and the problems with, nurse decision-making. Only 5 studies tested interventions to overcome or correct biases. 61 of the studies relied on vignettes, surveys, or recall methods, rather than examining real-world nursing practice. This could be a serious oversight because contextual factors such as cognitive load, which have a significant impact on judgment and decision-making, are not necessarily captured with vignette or survey studies. Furthermore, survey and vignette studies make it difficult to quantify the impact of these biases in the healthcare system.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the serious effects that bias has on nurses' clinical judgment, and thereby patient outcomes, a concerted, systematic effort to identify and test debiasing strategies in real-world nursing settings is needed.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Bias affects nurses' clinical judgment - we need to know how to fix it.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Ondansetron Use for Acute Gastroenteritis in Children

OBJECTIVES

There is limited research examining racial/ethnic disparities in antiemetic use for acute gastroenteritis (AGE). We assessed racial/ethnic differences in the care of children with AGE.

METHODS

The Pediatric Health Information System was used to conduct a retrospective cohort study of children 6 months to 6 years old with AGE seen in participating emergency departments from 2016 to 2018. Cases were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes. The primary outcome was administration of ondansetron, secondary outcomes were administration of intravenous (IV) fluids and hospitalization, and primary predictor was race/ethnicity. Multivariable logistic regression followed by a mixed model adjusted for sex, age, insurance, and hospital to examine the association of race/ethnicity with each outcome.

RESULTS

There were 78,019 encounters included; 24.8% of patients were non-Hispanic White (NHW), 29.0% non-Hispanic Black (NHB), 37.3% Hispanic, and 8.9% other non-Hispanic (NH) race/ethnicity. Compared with NHW patients, minority children were more likely to receive ondansetron (NHB: adjusted odds ratio, 1.36 [95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.55]; Hispanic: 1.26 [1.1-1.44]; other NH: 1.22 [1.07-1.4]). However, minority children were less likely to receive IV fluids (NHB: 0.38 [0.33-0.43]; Hispanic: 0.44 [0.36-0.53]; other NH: 0.51 [0.44-0.61]) or hospital admission (NHB: 0.37 [0.29-0.48]; Hispanic: 0.41 [0.33-0.5]; other NH: 0.52 [0.41-0.66]). Ondansetron use by hospital ranged from 73% to 95%.

CONCLUSIONS

This large database analysis of emergency departments around the nation found that NHW patients were less likely to receive ondansetron but more likely to receive IV fluids and hospital admission than minority patients. These findings are likely multifactorial and may represent bias, social determinants of health, access to care, or illness severity among other possible causes.

Mitigating structural racism to reduce inequities in sepsis outcomes: a mixed methods, longitudinal intervention study

BACKGROUND

Sepsis affects 1.7 million patients in the US annually, is one of the leading causes of mortality, and is a major driver of US healthcare costs. African American/Black and LatinX populations experience higher rates of sepsis complications, deviations from standard care, and readmissions compared with Non-Hispanic White populations. Despite clear evidence of structural racism in sepsis care and outcomes, there are no prospective interventions to mitigate structural racism in sepsis care, nor are we aware of studies that report reductions in racial inequities in sepsis care as an outcome. Therefore, we will deliver and evaluate a coalition-based intervention to equip health systems and their surrounding communities to mitigate structural racism, driving measurable reductions in inequities in sepsis outcomes. This paper presents the theoretical foundation for the study, summarizes key elements of the intervention, and describes the methodology to evaluate the intervention.

METHODS

Our aims are to: (1) deliver a coalition-based leadership intervention in eight U.S. health systems and their surrounding communities; (2) evaluate the impact of the intervention on organizational culture using a longitudinal, convergent mixed methods approach, and (3) evaluate the impact of the intervention on reduction of racial inequities in three clinical outcomes: a) early identification (time to antibiotic), b) clinical management (in-hospital sepsis mortality) and c) standards-based follow up (same-hospital, all-cause sepsis readmissions) using interrupted time series analysis.

DISCUSSION

This study is aligned with calls to action by the NIH and the Sepsis Alliance to address inequities in sepsis care and outcomes. It is the first to intervene to mitigate effects of structural racism by developing the domains of organizational culture that are required for anti-racist action, with implications for inequities in complex health outcomes beyond sepsis.

Investigating racial disparities within an emergency department rapid-triage system

OBJECTIVES

Racial disparities in emergency medical care are abundant, and processes aimed to increase throughput, such as a rapid triage fast-track (FT) systems, may exacerbate these inequities. A FT strategy may be more susceptible to implicit bias as subjective information is obtained quickly. We aim to determine whether a FT model was associated with greater disparities between Black and White emergency department (ED) patients.

METHODS

Triage-related outcomes were compared across race using a cohort selected from encounters in an ED that uses a FT model. White and Black patient encounters were exact-matched on potential confounders including sex; presence of abnormal vital signs; ED arrival time; insurance type; age category; and chief complaint. The primary triage-related outcome was use of the FT area (versus the main ED), and the secondary outcomes were wait time and assigned encounter acuity.

RESULTS

Encounters for 5151 Black patients were exact-matched with 7179 encounters for White patients. Weights were applied to address differential numbers of encounters from each group. Within this matched cohort, Black patients were more likely to be triaged to FT than White patients (odds ratio = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.12; 1.46) and less likely to be given a high acuity score (odds ratio = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.81). Among the high-acuity patients, Black patients were 40% more likely to be triaged to the FT area.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that, after controlling for potential confounders, racial disparities may have been exacerbated in a FT ED triage process. In a FT model utilizing physicians and midlevel providers, this may create tiered levels of care between Black and White patients - an unacceptable side-effect of an effort to increase ED throughput.

Development and Structure of an Accurate Machine Learning Algorithm to Predict Inpatient Mortality and Hospice Outcomes in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Era

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged the accuracy and racial biases present in traditional mortality scores. An accurate prognostic model that can be applied to hospitalized patients irrespective of race or COVID-19 status may benefit patient care.

RESEARCH DESIGN

This cohort study utilized historical and ongoing electronic health record features to develop and validate a deep-learning model applied on the second day of admission predicting a composite outcome of in-hospital mortality, discharge to hospice, or death within 30 days of admission. Model features included patient demographics, diagnoses, procedures, inpatient medications, laboratory values, vital signs, and substance use history. Conventional performance metrics were assessed, and subgroup analysis was performed based on race, COVID-19 status, and intensive care unit admission.

SUBJECTS

A total of 35,521 patients hospitalized between April 2020 and October 2020 at a single health care system including a tertiary academic referral center and 9 community hospitals.

RESULTS

Of 35,521 patients, including 9831 non-White patients and 2020 COVID-19 patients, 2838 (8.0%) met the composite outcome. Patients who experienced the composite outcome were older (73 vs. 61 y old) with similar sex and race distributions between groups. The model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.89 (95% confidence interval: 0.88, 0.91) and an average positive predictive value of 0.46 (0.40, 0.52). Model performance did not differ significantly in White (0.89) and non-White (0.90) subgroups or when grouping by COVID-19 status and intensive care unit admission.

CONCLUSION

A deep-learning model using large-volume, structured electronic health record data can effectively predict short-term mortality or hospice outcomes on the second day of admission in the general inpatient population without significant racial bias.

'He or she maybe doesn't know there is such a thing as a review': A qualitative investigation exploring barriers and facilitators to accessing medication reviews from the perspective of people from ethnic minority communities

Introduction

Regular reviews of medications, including prescription reviews and adherence reviews, are vital to support pharmacological effectiveness and optimize health outcomes for patients. Despite being more likely to report a long‐term illness that requires medication when compared to their white counterparts, individuals from ethnic minority communities are less likely to engage with regular medication reviews, with inequalities negatively affecting their access. It is important to understand what barriers may exist that impact the access of those from ethnic minority communities and to identify measures that may act to facilitate improved service accessibility for these groups.

Methods

Semi‐structured interviews were conducted between June and August 2021 using the following formats as permitted by governmental COVID‐19 restrictions: in person, over the telephone or via video call. Perspectives on service accessibility and any associated barriers and facilitators were discussed. Interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflexive thematic analysis enabled the development of themes. QSR NVivo (Version 12) facilitated data management. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Authority (ref: 21/HRA/1426).

Results

In total 20 participants from ethnic minority communities were interviewed; these participants included 16 UK citizens, 2 refugees and 2 asylum seekers, and represented a total of 5 different ethnic groups. Three themes were developed from the data regarding the perceived barriers and facilitators affecting access to medication reviews and identified approaches to improve the accessibility of such services for ethnic minority patients. These centred on (1) building knowledge and understanding about medication reviews; (2) delivering medication review services; and (3) appreciating the lived experience of patients.

Conclusion

The results of this study have important implications for addressing inequalities that affect ethnic minority communities. Involving patients and practitioners to work collaboratively in coproduction approaches could enable better design, implementation and delivery of accessible medication review services that are culturally competent.

Patient or Public Contribution

The National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement group at Newcastle University supported the study design and conceptualization. Seven patient champions inputted to ensure that the research was conducted, and the findings were reported, with cultural sensitivity.

Racial and Language Disparities in Pediatric Emergency Department Triage

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the impact race and language have on emergency department (ED) triage scores while accounting for illness severity. We hypothesized that non-White and non-English-speaking patients were assigned lower-acuity triage scores compared with White and English-speaking patients, respectively.

METHODS

We used a chart review-based retrospective cohort study design, examining patients aged 0 to 17 years at our pediatric ED from July 2015 through June 2016. Illness severity was measured using a truncated Modified Pediatric Early Warning Score calculated from patient vital signs. We used univariate and multivariate multinomial logistic regression to assess the association between race and language with Emergency Severity Index scores.

RESULTS

Our final data set consisted of 10,815 visits from 8928 patients. Non-Hispanic (NH) White patients accounted for 34.6% of patients. In the adjusted analyses, non-White patients had significantly reduced odds of receiving a score of 2 (emergency) (odds ratio [OR], 0.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.49) or 3 (urgent) (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.45-0.56) and significantly higher odds of receiving a score of 5 (minor) (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.07-1.69) versus a score of 4 (nonurgent). We did not find a consistent disparity in Emergency Severity Index scores when comparing English- and non-English-speaking patients.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirm that non-White patients receive lower triage scores than White patients. A more robust tool is required to account for illness severity and will be critical to understanding whether the relationship we describe reflects bias within the triage system or differences in ED utilization by racial groups.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Pediatric Emergency Department Wait Times

OBJECTIVES

Wait time for emergency care is a quality measure that affects clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. It is unknown if there is racial/ethnic variability in this quality measure in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs). We aim to determine whether racial/ethnic differences exist in wait times for children presenting to PEDs and examine between-site and within-site differences.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study for PED encounters in 2016 using the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry, an aggregated deidentified electronic health registry comprising 7 PEDs. Patient encounters were included among all patients 18 years or younger at the time of the ED visit. We evaluated differences in emergency department wait time (time from arrival to first medical evaluation) considering patient race/ethnicity as the exposure.

RESULTS

Of 448,563 visits, median wait time was 35 minutes (interquartile range, 17-71 minutes). Compared with non-Hispanic White (NHW) children, non-Hispanic Black (NHB), Hispanic, and other race children waited 27%, 33%, and 12% longer, respectively. These differences were attenuated after adjusting for triage acuity level, mode of arrival, sex, age, insurance, time of day, and month [adjusted median wait time ratios (95% confidence intervals): 1.11 (1.10-1.12) for NHB, 1.12 (1.11-1.13) for Hispanic, and 1.05 (1.03-1.06) for other race children compared with NHW children]. Differences in wait time for NHB and other race children were no longer significant after adjusting for clinical site. Fully adjusted median wait times among Hispanic children were longer compared with NHW children [1.04 (1.03-1.05)].

CONCLUSIONS

In unadjusted analyses, non-White children experienced longer PED wait times than NHW children. After adjusting for illness severity, patient demographics, and overcrowding measures, wait times for NHB and other race children were largely determined by site of care. Hispanic children experienced longer within-site and between-site wait times compared with NHW children. Additional research is needed to understand structures and processes of care contributing to wait time differences between sites that disproportionately impact non-White patients.

Breaking through barriers: the need for effective research to promote language-concordant communication as a facilitator of equitable emergency care

Individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) are at high risk for adverse outcomes in the US health care system. This is particularly true for patients with LEP seeking care in the emergency department (ED). Although professional language interpretation improves the quality of care for these patients, it remains underused. The dynamic, discontinuous nature of an ED visit poses distinct challenges and opportunities for providing equitable, high-quality care for patients with LEP. Evidence-based best practices for identifying patients with LEP and using professional interpretation are well described but inadequately implemented. There are few examples in the literature of rigorous interventions to improve quality of care and outcomes for patients with LEP. There is an urgent need for high-quality research to improve communication with patients with LEP along the continuum of emergency care in order to achieve equity in outcomes.

First Nations status and emergency department triage scores in Alberta: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have found that race is associated with emergency department triage scores, raising concerns about potential health care inequity. As part of a project on quality of care for First Nations people in Alberta, we sought to understand the relation between First Nations status and triage scores.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of health administrative data from April 2012 to March 2017 to evaluate acuity of triage scores, categorized as a binary outcome of higher or lower acuity score. We developed multivariable multilevel logistic mixed-effects regression models using the levels of emergency department visit, patient (for patients with multiple visits) and facility. We further evaluated the triage of visits related to 5 disease categories and 5 specific diagnoses to better compare triage outcomes of First Nations and non-First Nations patients.

RESULTS

First Nations status was associated with lower odds of receiving higher acuity triage scores (odds ratio [OR] 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92-0.94) compared with non-First Nations patients in adjusted models. First Nations patients had lower odds of acute triage for all 5 disease categories and for 3 of 5 diagnoses, including long bone fractures (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.76-0.88), acute upper respiratory infection (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84-0.98) and anxiety disorder (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.60-0.74).

INTERPRETATION

First Nations status was associated with lower odds of higher acuity triage scores across a number of conditions and diagnoses. This may reflect systemic racism, stereotyping and potentially other factors that affected triage assessments.

Racial inequities in emergency department wait times for pregnancy-related concerns

OBJECTIVE

Emergency department care is common among US pregnant women. Given the increased likelihood of serious and life-threatening pregnancy-related health conditions among Black mothers, timeliness of emergency department care is vital. The objective of this study was to evaluate racial/ethnic variations in emergency department wait times for receiving obstetrical care among a nationally representative population.

METHODS

The study used pooled 2016-2018 data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative sample of emergency department visits. Regression models were estimated to determine whether emergency department wait time was associated with the race/ethnicity of the perinatal patient. Adjusted models controlled for age, obesity status, insurance type, whether the patient arrived by ambulance, triage status, presence of a patient dashboard, and region.

RESULTS

There were a total of 821 reported pregnancy-related visits in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey sample of emergency department visits. Of those 821 visits, 40.6% were among White women, 27.7% among Black women, and 27.5% among Hispanic women. Mean wait times differed substantially by race/ethnicity. After adjusting for potential confounders, Black women waited 46% longer than White women with emergency department visits for pregnancy problems (p < .05). Those reporting another race waited 95% longer for pregnancy problems in the emergency department than White women (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

Findings from this study document significant racial/ethnic differences in wait times for perinatal emergency department care. Although inequities in wait times may emerge across the spectrum of care, documenting the factors influencing racial disparities in wait times are critical to promoting equitable perinatal health outcomes.

Racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department restraint use: A multicenter retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Research regarding disparities in physical restraint use in the emergency department (ED) is limited. We evaluated the role of race, ethnicity, and preferred language on the application of physical restraint among ED patients held under a Massachusetts section 12(a) order for mandatory psychiatric evaluation.

METHODS

We identified all ED patient encounters with a section 12(a) order across a large integrated 11-hospital health system from January 2018 through December 2019. Information on age, race, ethnicity, preferred language, insurance, mental illness, substance use, history of homelessness, and in-network primary care provider was obtained from the electronic health record. We evaluated for differences in physical restraint use between subgroups via a mixed-effect logistic regression with random-intercept model.

RESULTS

We identified 32,054 encounters involving a section 12(a) order. Physical restraints were used in 2,458 (7.7%) encounters. Factors associated with physical restraint included male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28 to 1.63), Black/African American race (aOR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.48), Hispanic ethnicity (aOR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.22 to 1.73), Medicaid insurance (aOR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.39), and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder (aOR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.31 to 1.74). Across all age groups, patients who were 25 to 34 years of age were at highest risk of restraint (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.69 to 2.39). Patients with a primary care provider within our network (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.72 to 0.92) were at lower risk of restraint. No associations were found between restraint use and language, history of alcohol or substance use, or homelessness.

CONCLUSION

Black/African American and Hispanic patients under an involuntary mandatory emergency psychiatric evaluation hold order experience higher rates of physical restraint in the ED. Factors contributing to racial disparities in the use of physical restraint, including the potential role of structural racism and other forms of bias, merits further investigation.

Agricultural workers in meatpacking plants presenting to an emergency department with suspected COVID-19 infection are disproportionately Black and Hispanic

Objective

Facilities that process and package meat for consumer sale and consumption (meatpacking plants) were early sites of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) outbreaks. The aim of this study was to characterize the association between meatpacking plant exposure and clinical outcomes among emergency department (ED) patients with COVID‐19 symptoms.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients presenting to a single ED, from March 1 to May 31, 2020, who had: 1) symptoms consistent with COVID‐19 and 2) a COVID‐19 test performed. The primary outcome was COVID‐19 positivity, and secondary outcomes included hospital admission from the ED, ventilator use, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital length of stay (LOS; <48 or ≥48 h), and mortality.

Results

Patients from meatpacking plants were more likely to be Black or Hispanic than the ED patients without this occupational exposure. Patients with a meatpacking plant exposure were more likely to test positive for COVID‐19 (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 2.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.59 to 3.53) but had similar rates of hospital admission (aRR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.82 to 1.07) and hospital LOS (aRR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.45 to 1.23). There was no significant difference in ventilator use among patients with meatpacking and nonmeatpacking plant exposure (8.2% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.531), ICU admissions (4.1% vs. 12.0%, p = 0.094), and mortality (2.0% vs. 4.1%, p = 0.473).

Conclusions

Workers in meatpacking plants in Iowa had a higher rate of testing positive for COVID‐19 but were not more likely to be hospitalized for their illness. These patients were disproportionately Black and Hispanic.

Impact of patient race/ethnicity on emergency department management of pediatric gastroenteritis in the setting of a clinical pathway

BACKGROUND

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common pediatric diagnosis in emergency medicine, accounting for 1.7 million visits annually. Little is known about racial/ethnic differences in care in the setting of standardized care models.

METHODS

We used quality improvement data for children 6 months to 18 years presenting to a large, urban pediatric emergency department (ED) treated via a clinical pathway for AGE/dehydration between 2011 and 2018. Race/ethnicity was evaluated as a single variable (non-Hispanic [NH]-White, NH-Black, Hispanic, and NH-other) related to ondansetron and intravenous fluid (IVF) administration, ED length of stay (LOS), hospital admission, and ED revisits using multivariable regression.

RESULTS

Of 30,849 ED visits for AGE/dehydration, 18.0% were NH-White, 57.2% NH-Black, 12.5% Hispanic, and 12.3% NH-other. Multivariable mixed-effects generalized linear regression controlling for age, sex, triage acuity, payer, and language revealed that, compared to NH-White patients, NH-other patients were more likely to receive ondansetron (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] = 1.30 [1.17 to 1.43]). NH-Black, Hispanic, and NH-other patients were significantly less likely to receive IVF (0.59 [0.53 to 0.65]; 0.74 [0.64 to 0.84]; 0.74 [0.65 to 0.85]) or be admitted to the hospital (0.54 [0.45 to 0.64]; 0.62 [0.49 to 0.78]; 0.76 [0.61 to 0.94]), respectively. NH-Black and Hispanic patients had shorter LOS (median = 245 minutes for NH-White, 176 NH-Black, 199 Hispanic, and 203 NH-other patients) without significant differences in ED revisits.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the presence of a clinical pathway to guide care, NH-Black, Hispanic, and NH-other children presenting to the ED with AGE/dehydration were less likely to receive IVF or hospital admission and had shorter LOS compared to NH-White counterparts. There was no difference in patient revisits, which suggests discretionary overtreatment of NH-White patients, even with clinical guidelines in place. Further research is needed to understand the drivers of differences in care to develop interventions promoting equity in pediatric emergency care.

Triage Decisions Involving Pregnancy-Capable Patients: Educational Deficits and Emergency Nurses' Perceptions of Risk

BACKGROUND

In areas where obstetric services are not available, emergency departments often become the default for unplanned obstetric care, yet emergency nurses are not universally trained in the identification and treatment of obstetric emergencies. The purpose of this study was to explore emergency nurses' perception of acuity in the triage of pregnant or postpartum patients presenting to the emergency department with high-risk complaints and to identify facilitators and challenges to the accurate identification and treatment of these patients.

METHOD

A mixed-methods study was conducted using chart review data (N = 12,766) and focus group data (N = 39) from five emergency departments in the eastern United States.

RESULTS

In 86.5% of cases, pregnancy status was not documented. Ninety-four percent of pregnant patients with a systolic blood pressure over 140 mmHg were under-triaged. The overall theme of the qualitative data was acuity blindness, with identified barriers to assessment that included educational needs and triage processes and workflow issues.

CONCLUSION

There are significant knowledge deficits in the care of patients presenting with high-risk conditions associated with pregnancy. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(1):21-29.].

The impact of delayed management of fall-related hip fracture management on health outcomes for African American older adults

BACKGROUND

Black hip fracture patients experience worse health outcomes than otherwise similar White patients, but causes of these disparities are not known. We sought to determine if delays in hip fracture surgery and/or hospital structures contribute to racial disparities in hip fracture outcomes.

METHODS

Using 2006 to 2016 Trauma Quality Program Public Use Files, we identified hip fracture patients with primary mechanisms of fall from standing and determined surgical treatment category (no surgery, surgery within 24 hours after arrival, surgery 24-48 hours after arrival, surgery more than 48 hours after arrival) as well as hospital structure characteristics (trauma center designation, teaching status, profit status, bed size). We used generalized structural equation models to conduct path analyses and determine if hip fracture treatment and hospital characteristics mediated the relationship between race (non-Hispanic Black/non-Hispanic White) and outcomes (complications, length of stay, disposition).

RESULTS

Non-Hispanic Black patients were more likely than non-Hispanic White patients to receive treatment at an academic medical center (49.1% vs. 28.0%), at a hospital with >600 inpatient beds (39.5% vs. 25.3%), and at a level I or II trauma center (86.8% vs. 77.7%); were more likely to go without hip fracture repair surgery (22.8% vs. 21.4%); and were more likely to have delayed surgery >48 hours after hospital arrival (15.5% vs. 10.6%). Path analysis suggests hip fracture treatment group and hospital characteristics mediate the relationship with complications, length of stay, and disposition.

CONCLUSION

Non-Hispanic Black patients with fall-related hip fracture are more likely to experience delays in care, complications, and longer inpatient stays. Hospital characteristics contribute to increased risk of complications and longer length of stay, both as independent determinants of outcomes and as determinants of delays in hip fracture surgery.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic and epidemiologic, level III.

Racial/ethnic disparities in emergency department wait times in the United States, 2013-2017

BACKGROUND

Previous research shows that Black and Hispanic patients have longer ED wait times than White patients, but these data do not reflect recent changes such as the Affordable Care Act. In addition, previous research does not account for the non-normal distribution of wait times, wherein a sizable subgroup of patients seen promptly and those not seen promptly experience long wait times.

METHODS

We utilized National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) datasets (2013-2017) to examine mean ED wait time comparing visits by Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients to White patients. Using a two-part regression model, we adjusted for patient, hospital, and health system factors, and estimated differences, for each of five triage levels, in (a) likelihood of waiting at least 5 min and (b) difference in wait time among those not seen promptly.

RESULTS

Our cohort included 38,800 White, 14,838 Black, 10,619 Hispanic, and 1257 Asian patient visits. Black (triage level 3) and Hispanic (triage levels 3 and 4) patients had longer mean wait times than White patients. Adjusted likelihood of not being seen promptly was lower among Blacks (triage levels 3, 4 and 5), Hispanics (triage level 5) and Asians (triage level 5) compared to Whites. Among those waiting at least 5 min, adjusted wait time was longer among Blacks in triage level 3 (5.2 min, 95% CI, 1.3 to 9.0) and level 4 (2.5 min, 95% CI, 0.2 to 4.9), Hispanics in triage level 4 (4.7 min, 95% CI, 1.7 to 7.7) and Asians in triage level 5 (16.3 min, 95% CI, 0.6 to 31.9) compared to Whites.

CONCLUSIONS

Minority patients were less likely to wait to be seen, but waited longer if not seen promptly. These data exhibit that ED wait time disparities persist for African American and Hispanic patients and extend this observation to Asian patients.

The Effect of Homelessness on Patient Wait Times in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Prolonged emergency department (ED) wait times could potentially lead to increased morbidity and mortality. While previous work has demonstrated disparities in wait times associated with race, information about the relationship between experiencing homelessness and ED wait times is lacking.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between residence status (undomiciled vs. domiciled) and ED wait times. We hypothesized that being undomiciled would be associated with longer wait times.

METHODS

We obtained data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2014 to 2017. We compared wait times in each triage category using t tests. We used multivariate linear regression to explore associations between residence status and wait times while controlling for other patient- and hospital-level variables.

RESULTS

On average, undomiciled patients experienced significantly longer mean ED wait times than domiciled patients (53.4 vs. 38.9 min; p < 0.0001). In the multivariate model, undomiciled patients experienced significantly different wait times by 15.5 min (p = 0.0002). Undomiciled patients experienced increasingly longer waits vs. domiciled patients for the emergent and urgent triage categories (+33.5 min, p < 0.0001, and +22.7 min, p < 0.0001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Undomiciled patients experience longer ED wait times when compared with domiciled patients. This disparity is not explained by undomiciled patients seeking care in the ED for minor illness, because the disparity is more pronounced for urgent and emergent triage categories.

Telemedicine and healthcare disparities: a cohort study in a large healthcare system in New York City during COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

Through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telemedicine became a necessary entry point into the process of diagnosis, triage, and treatment. Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare have been well documented in COVID-19 with respect to risk of infection and in-hospital outcomes once admitted, and here we assess disparities in those who access healthcare via telemedicine for COVID-19.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Electronic health record data of patients at New York University Langone Health between March 19th and April 30, 2020 were used to conduct descriptive and multilevel regression analyses with respect to visit type (telemedicine or in-person), suspected COVID diagnosis, and COVID test results.

RESULTS

Controlling for individual and community-level attributes, Black patients had 0.6 times the adjusted odds (95% CI: 0.58-0.63) of accessing care through telemedicine compared to white patients, though they are increasingly accessing telemedicine for urgent care, driven by a younger and female population. COVID diagnoses were significantly more likely for Black versus white telemedicine patients.

DISCUSSION

There are disparities for Black patients accessing telemedicine, however increased uptake by young, female Black patients. Mean income and decreased mean household size of a zip code were also significantly related to telemedicine use.

CONCLUSION

Telemedicine access disparities reflect those in in-person healthcare access. Roots of disparate use are complex and reflect individual, community, and structural factors, including their intersection-many of which are due to systemic racism. Evidence regarding disparities that manifest through telemedicine can be used to inform tool design and systemic efforts to promote digital health equity.