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Sex differences in the referral process for invasive cardiac procedures
D M Seils1, J Y Friedman, K A Schulman
1Center for Clinical and Genetic Economics at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27715, USA.
Journal of the American Medical Women'S Association (1972)
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Women with heart disease face disparities in cardiac care referrals. This study introduces a framework to understand how sex influences each stage of the cardiac referral process, highlighting potential biases in cardiovascular care.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Sociology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Heart disease and stroke cause nearly twice as many female deaths annually as all cancers combined in the U.S.
- Studies indicate women are less frequently referred for invasive cardiac procedures compared to men.
- Existing research extensively documents sex disparities in invasive cardiac procedure utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of sex on patient and physician decision-making during cardiac care referrals.
- To present a novel framework detailing 8 stages of the referral process and the role of sex in each.
Main Methods:
- Adapted a framework previously used to analyze race in cardiac referral processes.
- Reviewed a representative sample of existing literature to identify sex-based influences at each referral stage.
Main Results:
- The study outlines a framework demonstrating how sex may impact patient and physician decisions across 8 distinct stages of cardiac referral.
- Literature review supports the framework by illustrating sex-based influences at various points in the referral pathway.
Conclusions:
- Understanding sex-based influences at each referral stage is crucial for addressing disparities in cardiovascular care for women.
- The proposed framework offers a structured approach to identify and potentially mitigate sex-related biases in cardiac referrals.