Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Limited English proficiency (LEP) is a risk factor for health care inequity and an important focus for improving communication and care quality. This study examines the association between LEP and pediatric emergency department (ED) revisits. ⋯ These results suggest that LEP was associated with increased pediatric ED revisits. Improved understanding of language barrier effects on clinical care is important for decreasing health care disparities in the ED.
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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. ⋯ 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.
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Observational Study
Inter-Physician Weight Bias: A Cross-Sectional Observational Survey Study To Guide Implicit Bias Training in the Medical Workplace.
Implicit bias contributes to both health care disparities and professional limitations, and it exists among physicians. Prior literature has described physician weight bias (WB) toward patients, but little research has investigated interphysician WB. This study describes the prevalence of interphysician implicit WB and investigates the relationships between implicit, explicit, and professional biases. The authors hypothesized that the majority of physicians possess interphysician implicit WB and that the degree of implicit bias has a direct relationship with explicit and professional WB. ⋯ Our findings highlight the prevalence of interphysician implicit WB; the strong correlations between implicit, explicit, and professional WB; and the potential disparities faced by physicians with obesity. These results may be used to guide implicit bias training for a more inclusive medical workplace.
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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. ⋯ 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.