Implicit Bias in Pediatrics: An Emerging Focus in Health Equity Research.

Abstract

* Abbreviation: ED — : emergency department Despite large-scale investments in research, health policy, care delivery models, and medical school curricula, inequities along the continuum of child health care and health persist.1,2 The study “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Emergency Department Pain Management of Children with Fractures”3 in this issue of Pediatrics contributes new insights into the field of pediatric health equity research with a focus on pain in the emergency department (ED) setting. Goyal et al3 find that although racial and/or ethnic minority children were more likely to receive analgesics and achieve a ≥2-point reduction in pain, they were less likely to receive opioids and experience optimal pain reduction. This work builds on a well-established body of literature in adult care and an emerging evidence base in pediatrics demonstrating inequities in analgesic administration.4 Studies in pediatric EDs have demonstrated racial and/or ethnic disparities in analgesic management for children presenting with acute abdominal pain and appendicitis.5,6 The current study adds to the field by combining process and outcome measures in assessing analgesic management. As the authors and other researchers in the field have highlighted, there … Address correspondence to Jean L. Raphael, MD, MPH, Texas Children’s Hospital, 6701 Fannin St, Suite D.1540.00, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: raphael{at}bcm.edu