LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Disparities in the provision of perinatal care based on patient race in the United States.

Photo by nci from unsplash

BACKGROUND In the United States, there are significant health inequities in perinatal care. This study examined differences in perinatal care provided to women based on the birthing person's designated race,… Click to show full abstract

BACKGROUND In the United States, there are significant health inequities in perinatal care. This study examined differences in perinatal care provided to women based on the birthing person's designated race, within a large and diverse cohort of women. METHODS This retrospective electronic medical record review identified patients receiving perinatal care within a large hospital system between January 2012 and September 2018 and examined associations between maternal designated race/ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic [NH] Black, Asian or White) and various provider treatment decisions. RESULTS The study sample (N = 7056) was comprised of 36% Hispanic, 34% NH White, 21% NH Black, and 4% NH Asian women, aged 29.7 ± 6.3 years; 53% of the sample had private insurance, and 45% had Medicaid. Few differences by race were seen in perinatal care based on guidelines or expert recommendations (nondiscretionary care). Discretionary care, however, varied by race: Compared with NH White women, NH Black women were less likely to receive a prenatal depression screen (OR 0.8 [95% CI: 0.7, 0.9]) and more likely to have a urine drug test when denying drug use (OR 1.6 [95% CI 1.3, 2.0]), whereas Hispanic (OR 0.6 [95% CI: 0.5, 0.8]) and NH Asian (0.4 [95% CI 0.2, 0.9]) women were less likely to have a urine drug test completed when denying drug use. DISCUSSION Perinatal care differs by maternal race/ethnicity, particularly when guidelines or expert recommendations are absent. Greater efforts need to be made to identify and mitigate providers' implicit and explicit biases; expanded professional guidelines may offer some protections against inequitable, discretionary care.

Keywords: race; care based; care; perinatal care; drug; united states

Journal Title: Birth
Year Published: 2023

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.