A recent study revealed that there are discrepancies based on race when it comes to responses on online patient portals.
According to a recent study, the response you receive from your doctor through an online patient portal may vary based on your racial background. Have you ever posed a question to your doctor using this platform?
In a research paper published on Monday by JAMA Network Open, the authors analyzed responses to patient portal messages from over 39,000 individuals at Boston Medical Center in 2021. They looked at the frequency of responses to medical advice requests and the healthcare professionals who provided the responses.
The authors noted that patients from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds had a similar chance of receiving a response from their care team when sending messages, but the specific healthcare professionals who responded varied.
As stated earlier in the CBS News report.
die from pregnancy-related complications
African Americans are at a higher risk of experiencing chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma compared to Caucasians. Additionally, they have the highest fatality rate from all types of cancer compared to other racial groups and their infant mortality rate is nearly double the national average. Furthermore, Black women are approximately three times more likely to lose their lives from pregnancy-related issues compared to White women.die during childbirth
The CDC states that
lead to unwanted consequences such as biased decision-making and the loss of the human touch.
Although innovations in healthcare technology, like AI utilization, have the potential to enhance care, certain specialists are concerned that these systems may result in negative outcomes such as biased decision-making and the absence of human interaction.
Increase the prevalence of racial discrimination.
This issue has been present in healthcare for many years.
Reporting for this article was contributed by Li Cohen and the Associated Press.
Sara Moniuszko
Source: cbsnews.com