Routine outcomes to investigate differences between ethnic minorities and White British people presenting to...

Research has found differences in processes and outcomes of care between people in ethnic minorities and White British populations in some clinical conditions, although findings have been mixed. The Building an understanding of Ethnic minority people's Service Use Relating to Emergency care for injuries study is investigating differences in presentation, experience and health outcomes between people from ethnic minorities and White British people who seek emergency health care for injury.

Our aim was to consult with stakeholders to define measurable outcomes available in routine ambulance and emergency department data; to assess the appropriateness of existing outcome measures for ethnic minorities and White British people; and to identify any gaps.

Clinicians, public contributors, researchers, people from the third sector, public health, healthcare inclusion were invited to join an online workshop to discuss routine outcomes.

Twenty participants attended the stakeholder consultation, with only one being a public contributor, a limitation. Eleven were from a minority ethnic background and seven were female. The integrated list of outcomes included 25 items, combining routine outcomes from the Building an understanding of Ethnic minority people's Service Use Relating to Emergency care for injuries protocol and literature (n = 17) with additional outcomes (n = 8). Notably, the initial list lacked provisions for safeguarding referrals and cases of treatment refusal, which were new additions. Safety concerns arose due to the lack of safeguarding referrals, treatment refusal and self-discharge. Factors such as pre-existing health conditions, injury location and experiences of discrimination were identified as possible influences on care quality and waiting times for ethnic minority patients.

Although the number of stakeholders taking part in our consultation was low, their participation identified outcomes not found in routine data, supporting the adoption of a mixed-methods approach to answer our research questions. A future consultation could look to include more public members and wider range of clinicians including those who work in safeguarding and rehabilitation services.

This article presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme as award number NIHR132744.