Racial Disparities in Medical Errors Among Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Medical errors are a leading cause of preventable harm worldwide and disproportionately affect women and racial minorities. However, evidence regarding racial disparities in medical errors among women remains inconsistent, and it is unclear whether disparities reflect differences in overall error rates or differences in specific types of errors. This study aimed to quantify racial disparities in medical errors among Black and White women receiving medical care.

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. EMBASE, PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science were searched for peer-reviewed studies examining racial disparities in medical errors among women. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed in RStudio to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.

Thirteen studies involving 3,608,296 women were included in the systematic review, and 11 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, Black women had higher odds of experiencing medical errors compared with White women; however, the association was not statistically significant (OR=1.18, 95% CI: 0.68-2.06). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that patient safety events were significantly more common among Black women (OR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.02-1.39), whereas diagnostic and human errors showed no significant racial differences. Further analysis revealed a significant difference between underdiagnosis in Black women and overdiagnosis in White women.

Although overall medical error rates did not differ significantly between Black and White women, Black women were more likely to experience underdiagnosis and patient safety events, whereas overdiagnosis was more frequently observed among White women.