07 Nov African Americans Do Worse After Joint Replacements, But Only In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Goodman
Susan M. Goodman, MD
Director of the Integrative Rheumatology and Orthopedics Center of Excellence
Hospital for Special Surgery
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We have previously reported that African Americans who have poorer health outcomes, may be disproportionately impacted by community factors. For African Americans undergoing knee replacement, no difference in pain and function was seen compared to whites in communities with little poverty, while in poor communities, African Americans had poorer outcomes. We wondered if this was generally true or if this only applied to knee replacements.
We found similar results; African Americans in richer neighborhoods have comparable outcomes to whites, but as poverty increases- in this study measured as percent with Medicaid coverage- outcomes worsen in a step wise fashion.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Response: This study demonstrates that interactions can be complicated- as we look at outcomes generally, it appears that African Americans do worse after arthroplasty than whites, but when we expand our analysis to include the interactions with community factors, it is only in the disadvantaged communities where African Americans have poorer outcomes.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: This study highlights the significance of socioeconomic factors in health outcomes, and the importance of analyzing contextual factors that may influence results.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Social Factors and Racial Disparities in Total Hip Arthroplasty Outcomes
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Last Updated on November 7, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD