Do Race and Ethnicity Play a Substantial Role in the Quality of Care That Patients Receive in the U.S. Health Care System?

Abstract

Letters6 January 2009Do Race and Ethnicity Play a Substantial Role in the Quality of Care That Patients Receive in the U.S. Health Care System?Steven M. Hegedus, MDSteven M. Hegedus, MDFrom Memphis Health Loop, Memphis, TN 38103.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-1-200901060-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Sloan (1) describes his patient Amanda Gonzalez and her struggle with a devastating illness, an unjust health care system, and medical error. Her story is tragic. Furthermore, the author speaks of bias in the care she received. Instead of prejudice, this story demonstrates a failing system as a cause of the patient's delays in care. Like the orthopedist and emergency department physician in Sloan's story, many others are trying to serve those with the greatest need. We are the physicians working on the front lines of a broken system. Individual racism certainly exists, but systems issues contribute ...Reference1. Sloan VS. The content of their character. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:142-3. [PMID: 18626055] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Memphis Health Loop, Memphis, TN 38103.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Content of Their Character Victor S. Sloan Do Race and Ethnicity Play a Substantial Role in the Quality of Care That Patients Receive in the U.S. Health Care System? Victor S. Sloan Metrics 6 January 2009Volume 150, Issue 1Page: 60KeywordsConflicts of interestHealth careHealth care qualityPatientsSurgeons ePublished: 6 January 2009 Issue Published: 6 January 2009 CopyrightCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...