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IMAGE: Associate professor of pediatrics, emergency medicine and radiology, University of Pittsburgh, and medical director of point-of-care ultrasound at UPMC Children s Hospital of Pittsburgh. view more
Credit: David Wallace
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 29, 2021 - A study led by UPMC Children s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine shows that Black children are 18% less likely to get imaging tests as part of their emergency department visit compared to White children. Hispanic children are 13% less likely to have imaging done than Whites.
The researchers suggest that this disparity results from overuse in White children, though underuse in minority children probably plays a part as well. The root cause likely stems from both patient preferences and implicit bias among providers.