Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Patient Safety

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Definitions

Because there can be substantial variation in patient safety terminology, a glossary of terms used in this article is provided. The terms are derived from Hayward and coworkers' recent work [3], except for the definition of a medical adverse event, which is a combination and modification of definitions from Hayward and coworkers [3] and Kuzel and colleagues [4].

  • Medical error: An act of commission or omission that substantively increases the risk for a medical adverse event. Errors can result

Literature review

The authors performed a systematic review of a representative sample of the published literature on racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric patient safety to (1) identify what is known and not known about racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric patient safety; and (2) summarize urgent priorities and unanswered questions in the field.

Conceptual model: racial/ethnic disparities in patient safety

A new conceptual model is proposed (Fig. 1) that the authors believe may provide a more detailed, comprehensive, and patient- and family-centered framework for understanding racial/ethnic disparities in patient safety. The five key components of this new model, which are addressed individually in more detail in the sections that follow, include: (1) there is a higher prevalence of known risk factors for medical errors among racial/ethnic minorities, (2) medical errors of omission and deviations

A research agenda

Box 1 provides a research agenda for future studies on racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric patient safety, incorporating findings from the literature review and the new conceptual model described above.

What can be done to improve patient safety for minority children?

The review of the literature reveals that much more research is needed on racial/ethnic disparities in patient safety. But available evidence suggests that millions of minority children are at risk for adverse medical events while we await the needed research. The authors propose that three basic interventions could result in substantial improvements in pediatric patient safety and disparities reduction for minority children. First, all hospitals and health care institutions should collect data

Summary

The number of racial/ethnic minority children will exceed the number of non-Latino white children in the United States by 2030, but little is known about racial/ethnic disparities in patient safety, particularly when it comes to children. A literature review revealed several racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric patient safety, including higher rates of newborn birth trauma, infections attributable to medical care, and postoperative adverse medical events for minority children, and a greater

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