Racial and ethnic disparities in the emergency department: A public health perspective

Abstract

This chapter will discuss these disparities from a public health perspective; specifically, why racial and ethnic disparities threaten to impede the efforts to improve the nation’s health. We will: (1) provide background information, including a review of the Institute Of Medicine (IOM) report on health care disparities and public health implications; (2) describe the racial and ethnic compositions of individuals in the emergency department (ED) setting from the perspective of both the patient and health care provider; (3) discuss some of the most prevalent disease presentations to the ED that are likely to have racial and ethnic disparities; and (4) give conclusions and general recommendations on how to address disparities in emergency health care.