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Published on: February 23, 2014
Impact of health disparity on pediatric infections
1Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Insights
Health disparities affect minoritized children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Health Equity
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant health disparities in minoritized children.
- Structural racism and socioeconomic inequalities exacerbate these disparities.
- These factors impact pediatric infection rates and outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Increasing physician workforce diversity in Pediatric Infectious Diseases is crucial.
- Education in bias reduction and culturally sensitive practices is essential.
- Socioeconomic interventions are needed to improve healthcare access and outcomes.
Purpose Of Review:
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the health disparities among minoritized children due to structural racism and socioeconomic inequalities. This review discusses how health disparities affect pediatric infections and how they can be addressed.
Recent Findings:
In addition to disparities in healthcare access due to poverty, geography, and English-language proficiency, implicit and explicit bias affects the healthcare quality and subsequent outcomes in children and adolescents with infections. Disparities in clinical trial enrollment affect the generalizability of research findings. Physicians who understand their patients' languages and the contexts of culture and socioeconomic conditions are better equipped to address the needs of specific populations and the health disparities among them.
Summary:
Addressing disparities in pediatric infections requires prioritization of efforts to increase physician workforce diversity in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, as well as education in bias reduction and culturally sensitive clinical practice, in addition to socioeconomic interventions that improve healthcare access, delivery, and outcomes.
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