Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Asthma represents one of the most common medical conditions among children encountered by emergency medical services (EMS). While care disparities for children with asthma have been observed in other healthcare settings, limited data exist characterizing disparities in prehospital care. We sought to characterize differences in prehospital treatment and transport of children with suspected asthma exacerbations by race and ethnicity, within the context of community socioeconomic status. ⋯ Black non-Hispanic children comprised a larger proportion of EMS encounters for asthma and were more likely to receive a bronchodilator in adjusted analyses accounting for community socioeconomic status. However, these children were less likely to be transported by EMS. These findings may reflect disease severity not manifested by abnormal vital signs, management, and other social factors that warrant further investigation.