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Showing results for tags 'Health Disparities'.
Found 803 results
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Content ArticleThis article in BBC Science Focus looks at the factors driving an increase in testosterone prescribing for women in the UK. The author, Dr Michelle Griffin, highlights the need to ensure that there is a strong evidence base for prescribing testosterone to women. While there have been some clinical trials and studies around testosterone as a treatment for low libido, there is concern that patients, doctors and pharma companies are relying on anecdotal accounts of its effectiveness to treat symptoms such as low mood, poor concentration and tiredness. She also highlights that testosterone prescribing is just one example of the lack of research going into women's health issues and treatments, and argues that this is contributing to health inequity.
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News Article
USA: Rise in infant deaths hits Black families hardest, study finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A new US study highlights a striking racial disparity in infant deaths: Black babies experienced the highest rate of sudden unexpected deaths (SIDS) in 2020, dying at almost three times the rate of White infants. The findings were part of research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also found a 15% increase in sudden infant deaths among babies of all races from 2019 to 2020, making SIDS the third leading cause of infant death in the United States after congenital abnormalities and the complications of premature birth. “In minority communities, the rates are going in the wrong direction,” said Scott Krugman, vice chair of the department of pediatrics and an expert on SIDS at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. The study found that rising SIDS rates in 2020 was likely attributable to diagnostic shifting — or reclassifying the cause of death. The causes of the rise in sleep-related deaths of Black infants remain unclear but it coincided with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, which disproportionately affected the health and wealth of Black communities. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Washington Post, 13 March 2023 -
Content ArticleThis article in the American Journal of Nursing provides basic information about the assessment of dark skin tone and calls for action in academia and professional practice to ensure the performance of effective skin assessments in all patients.
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Content ArticleDigital technologies can change how care is delivered, making health and care services more accessible, flexible, person centred, and a better experience for patients and staff while also improving efficiency. However, there is no guarantee of these positive effects until digitally enabled services are inclusive and meet the expectations of staff and the public. In this King's Fund long read, explore what digital exclusion is, who is commonly assumed to be excluded, and what can be done to mitigate digital exclusion.
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News Article
Covid’s effect on mental health not as great as first thought, study suggests
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Covid-19 may not have taken as great a toll on the mental health of most people as earlier research has indicated, a new study suggests. The pandemic resulted in “minimal” changes in mental health symptoms among the general population, according to a review of 137 studies from around the world led by researchers at McGill University in Canada, and published in the British Medical Journal. Brett Thombs, a psychiatry professor at McGill University and senior author, said some of the public narrative around the mental health impacts of Covid-19 were based on “poor-quality studies and anecdotes”, which became “self-fulfilling prophecies”, adding that there was a need for more “rigorous science”. However, some experts disputed this, warning such readings could obscure the impact on individual groups such as children, women and people with low incomes or pre-existing mental health problems. They also said other robust studies had reached different conclusions. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 March 2023 -
Content ArticleConcerns about Covid-19 related mental health are substantial, but the sheer volume of low quality evidence has posed a barrier to evidence synthesis and decision making. In this systematic review, Thombs et al. synthesised results of mental health outcomes in cohorts before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors compared general mental health, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms in the general population and other groups during covid-19 with outcomes from the same cohorts before Covid-19. The study found high risk of bias in many studies and substantial heterogeneity suggest caution in interpreting results. Nonetheless, most symptom change estimates for general mental health, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms were close to zero and not statistically significant, and significant changes were of minimal to small magnitudes. Small negative changes occurred for women or female participants in all domains. The authors will update the results of this systematic review as more evidence accrues.
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Content ArticleTo mark International Women’s Day, host Helen McKenna speaks with Professor Dame Lesley Regan and Dr Janine Austin Clayton about women’s health journeys from start to finish. They explore why women can struggle to get medical professionals to listen to them and the impact this has on diagnosis and treatment, as well as the mental and physical effects on women themselves.
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News ArticleNearly three-quarters of children detained under the mental health act are girls, a new report has found, amid warnings youngsters face a “postcode lottery” in their wait for treatment. Average waiting times between children being referred to mental health services and starting treatment have increased for the first time since 2017 with the children’s commissioner describing support across the country as “patchy”. In the annual report on children’s mental health services, the watchdog warned that, although the average wait is 40 days, some children are waiting as long as 80 days for treatment after being referred in 2021-22. The analysis, published on International Women’s day, also says young girls represented the highest proportion of children detained under the mental health act last year, highlighting “stark and worrying” gender inequalities. Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 March 2023 Further reading on the hub: Top picks: Women's health inequity
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Content ArticleThis is an annual report by the Children’s Commissioner review in children’s mental health services in England during 2021-22. It considers key trends in children’s access to mental health services and considers the current state of care provided to children who are admitted to inpatient mental health settings.
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Content Article
Sex and gender bias in health and social care results in poor outcomes for patients and has a negative impact on safety during care and treatment. For the last two International Women’s Days, Patient Safety Learning has highlighted patient safety concerns on this topic, considering the broader risk to safety posed by this bias and the impact on outcomes and safety of women being historically underrepresented in clinical trials and medication research.[1] [2] The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity. In support of this aim, there are seven different missions which have been identified to help forge a gender-equal world, including one focused specifically on health: “To assist women to be in a position of power to make informed decisions about their health”[3] This year we will focus on this mission, considering the relationship between women’s health, informed consent and patient safety. We will first set out what we mean by informed consent, before discussing how failures in consent can have a negative impact on women’s health. Then we will consider the UK Women’s Health Strategy in relation to these issues, and discuss what is needed to improve patient safety.- Posted
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Content ArticleThis blog by the Centre for Mental Health looks at data about young people's mental health in 2022 from NHS Digital, highlighting the urgent need for effective mental health services and support for young people. It looks at what needs to change to improve the picture for young people's mental health including addressing child poverty, implementing whole school and college approaches and investing in early intervention support.
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Content ArticleThis online course by NHS England helps participants learn how to engage with different people and communities to reduce inequalities and ensure inclusive access to healthcare. It involves three hours of study time per week over two weeks and aims to equip healthcare professionals to: help the people they work with access healthcare services understand how people have different experiences in their access to healthcare explore inclusive engagement activities develop an awareness of implicit bias and underrepresentation
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News Article
Los Angeles hospital under investigation accused of ignoring Black woman’s pain
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
April Valentine planned to have a complication-free delivery and to enjoy her life as a first-time parent to a healthy baby girl. Instead, California’s department of health and human services is investigating the circumstances of the April's death during childbirth. April, a 31-year-old Black woman, went to Centinela hospital in Inglewood on 9 January and died the next day. Her daughter Aniya was born via an emergency caesarean section. Her family and friends say that staff at the hospital ignored the pregnant woman’s complaints of pain, refused to let her doula be in the hospital room during the birth and neglected Valentine as her child’s father performed CPR on her. “It’s hard to even sleep, to even look at my child after seeing what I saw in that hospital that night,” said Nigha Robertson, Valentine’s boyfriend and Aniya’s father, to the Los Angeles county board of supervisors during its 31 January meeting. “I’m the only one who touched her, I’m the one who did CPR. Nobody touched her, we screamed and begged for help … they just let her lay there and die.” During the 31 January board of supervisors meeting, people who spoke in support of Valentine said that Centinela hospital is known around the community for being one of the “worst hospitals in the county” for Black and Latina mothers and their infants. Since 2000, the maternal mortality rate in the US has risen nearly 60%, with about 700 people dying during pregnancy or within a year of giving birth each year. More than 80% of the deaths are preventable, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The US has the highest maternal mortality rate among industrialized countries and Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 March 2023 -
News Article
Race and deprivation set back medical trainees, GMC analysis finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
New research shared with HSJ has ‘laid bare’ the inequalities experienced by medical trainees, with black doctors more likely to perform worse in exams than any other ethnic group. The report published by the General Medical Council (GMC) highlights that UK medical graduates of black or black British heritage have the lowest specialty exam pass rate of all ethnic groups at 62%, which is almost 20 percentage points lower than that of white doctors (79%). It is the first time the medical regulator has split this data by ethnicity, it said. The GMC has pledged to “eliminate discrimination, disadvantage and unfairness” in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education by 2031 and the disproportionate number of fitness to practise complaints received about ethnic minority doctors and doctors who gained their medical qualification outside of the UK by 2026. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 2 March 2023 -
Content ArticleThe UK Rare Diseases Framework was published in January 2021 and set out a shared vision for addressing health inequalities and improving the lives of people living with rare diseases across the UK. This is England’s second Rare Diseases Action Plan, following the commitment to publish action plans annually during the lifetime of the UK Rare Diseases Framework. This action plan has been developed in close collaboration with delivery partners across the health system and the rare disease community. It reports on progress against the 16 actions set out in the first Rare Diseases Action Plan and announces 13 new specific, measurable actions for the next year under the framework’s priority areas and underpinning themes.
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News Article
Covid inquiry: Race should be at its core, say campaigners
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Race should be made a central part of the UK's independent public inquiry into the pandemic, campaigners say. A letter seen by BBC News, sent to the chairwoman of the Covid-19 inquiry, calls for it to look at "racism as a key issue" at every stage. Ethnic minorities were significantly more likely to die with Covid-19, according to official figures. An inquiry spokesperson said the unequal impacts of the pandemic would be at the forefront of its work. People from ethnic minority backgrounds who lost loved-ones during the pandemic also told BBC News they felt "sidelined" by the process so far. The letter to Baroness Hallett, who is chairing the inquiry, has been co-ordinated by the group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice and race equality think tank Runnymede. It calls for ethnic minority communities to be "placed firmly at the centre" of the inquiry. Read full story Source: BBC News, 28 February 2023 -
Content ArticleFor people who have sensory impairments or learning disabilities, understanding complex medical information presents a barrier to access. The Accessible (AIS) Information Standard, introduced in 2016, gives disabled people and people with sensory loss the legal right to receive health and social care information and communications in a format that works for them. In 2018, two years after the AIS became law, Karl, who is blind and relies on braille and assistive technologies to access information and communication about his healthcare and appointments, contacted his local Healthwatch to tell them he was having ongoing issues accessing his healthcare information and communications. This case study tells Karl's story and highlights why considering patients' individuals accessibility needs is so important.
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Content ArticlePeople with poor mental health tend to experience poorer physical health and are more likely to die younger. This perspective article by consultant psychiatrist Peter Byrne aims to apply public health principles to improving the physical health of selected groups with mental health issues. It presents evidence of the lifetime effects of adverse childhood experiences and inequalities: the ‘causes of the causes’, outlines seven drivers of physical disorders that cause preventable deaths, and describes how psychiatrists must work with mental health teams to reverse rising mortality.
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News Article
White candidates still 50% more likely to be recruited, says new NHSE data
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
White applicants remain 54% more likely to be appointed from NHS job shortlistings compared to ethnic minority candidates, a metric that has hardly budged since 2016, a NHS England report has revealed. The 2022 NHS workforce race equality standard report, revealed a significant rise in the proportion of staff from ethnic minority backgrounds. And while there had been progress on some key targets since last year, others have stagnated. NHSE’s report showed ethnic minority staff comprise 24.2% of the workforce in 2022, up from 22.4% last year and from 17.7% six years ago. However, it also revealed the likelihood of white applicants being appointed from shortlists was 1.54 in 2022 than minority ethnic applicants – only a very small improvement on 1.57 in 2016, when WRES began Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 22 February 2023 -
Content ArticleThe 2022 Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) report enables organisations to compare their performance with others in their region and those providing similar services, with the aim of encouraging improvement by learning and sharing good practice. It provides a national picture of WRES in practice, to colleagues, organisations and the public on the developments in the workforce race equality agenda The WRES provide detailed analysis to enable employers to understand how their staff experience compares with others in their region and with similar specialism.
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News Article
Ethnic minority Covid death gap closes
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People from ethnic minority backgrounds are no longer significantly more likely to die of Covid-19, new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows. Early in the pandemic, deaths involving coronavirus were higher among black and Asian people than white people, with the highest risk among Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and Pakistani groups. Covid mortality rates for all ethnic minorities decreased last year. The latest data shows there is no significant statistical difference between the number of Covid deaths among ethnic minorities and the white population. The ONS also said that "all cause" mortality rates - measuring how likely people are to die of any cause, including Covid-19 - have returned to pre-pandemic patterns. The reasons for this change are complex, and experts say there are "various factors" to consider. Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 February 2023 -
News Article
London Ambulance lagging behind on diversity and must improve, bosses warned
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) failing on diversity and must implement specific targets for improvements, its leadership has been warned. According to LAS data, just 20% of the workforce is from a Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background despite almost half of the capital’s population (46.2%) being made up of non-white communities. Of that 20%, 40.9% are in the lowest paid roles, compared to 15.9% who are in the highest wage bands, according to the LAS’ Integrated Performance report. The LAS is in the process of developing a new strategy to help attract more diverse staff, which will be published early next year. Research shows that ethnic minority groups suffer disproportionately higher levels of inadequate ambulance care due to a combination of issues such as a lack of cultural awareness among professionals, language and communication difficulties and a limited understanding of how the healthcare system operates for some minority groups. Read full story Source: The Independent, 21 February 2023 -
Event
Webinar: Health equity and human rights
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
untilThis workshop will educate delegates about the principles of health inequality and the relationship between health equity and human rights. The workshop will cover the principles and definitions of health inequalities and how they can be measured and studied. Delegates will be given practical guidance on how to translate this knowledge into their own practice. The workshop will include a range of guest speakers from Public Health Wales, and will provide real world examples from Wales and across the world. Register for the webinar -
News ArticleBlack people have the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections in Britain and officials are not doing enough to address the issue, sexual health experts have warned. Black Britons have “disproportionally high rates” of various STI diagnoses compared to white Britons, with those of Black Caribbean heritage specifically having the highest rates for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes and trichomoniasis. Experts have told The Independent that healthcare providers are failing to address these disparities in STIs. They have called for more research to fully understand the complicated reasons why STIs are higher among people of Black ethnicity. Research conducted through the Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) found that there were no clinical or behavioural factors explaining the disproportionately high rates of STI diagnoses among Black people. But higher rates of poverty and poor health literacy among marginalised communities are all linked with higher STI rates, according to a 2016 study, which found that behavioural and contextual factors are likely to be contributing. Moreover, experiences of racism among Black people can fuel a reluctance to engage with sexual health services and test frequently, according to HIV activist Susan Cole-Haley. She told The Independent: “I very much believe that it is linked to socioeconomic disadvantage and racism, often in healthcare settings, which can be a significant barrier for people accessing testing, for instance, and feeling comfortable engaging with care.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 19 February 2023
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Content ArticleImagine you have a disease that leaves you in severe pain, and frequently means you need emergency strong opioid pain relief. But your condition is rare, and A&E staff often have very limited knowledge of your condition. And on top of that you’re black, and staff assume you’re drug seeking, and this happens over and over again. This is just one of the ways people with sickle cell disorder face discrimination when trying to access health care. Is it any wonder you’d rather avoid the health and care service than have substandard care and/or face stigmatisation?
