@article{ref1,
title="Association of race and ethnicity with management of abdominal pain in the emergency department",
journal="Pediatrics",
year="2013",
author="Johnson, Tiffani J. and Weaver, Matthew D. and Borrero, Sonya B. and Davis, Esa M. and Myaskovsky, Larissa and Zuckerbraun, Noel S. and Kraemer, Kevin L.",
volume="132",
number="4",
pages="e851-8",
abstract="OBJECTIVE:To determine if race/ethnicity-based differences exist in the management of pediatric abdominal pain in emergency departments (EDs).  METHODS:Secondary analysis of data from the 2006-2009 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey regarding 2298 visits by patients ≤21 years old who presented to EDs with abdominal pain. Main outcomes were documentation of pain score and receipt of any analgesics, analgesics for severe pain (defined as ≥7 on a 10-point scale), and narcotic analgesics. Secondary outcomes included diagnostic tests obtained, length of stay (LOS), 72-hour return visits, and admission.  RESULTS:Of patient visits, 70.1% were female, 52.6% were from non-Hispanic white, 23.5% were from non-Hispanic black, 20.6% were from Hispanic, and 3.3% were from &quot;other&quot; racial/ethnic groups; patients' mean age was 14.5 years. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for confounders revealed that non-Hispanic black patients were less likely to receive any analgesic (odds ratio [OR]: 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.43-0.87) or a narcotic analgesic (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.18-0.81) than non-Hispanic white patients (referent group). This finding was also true for non-Hispanic black and &quot;other&quot; race/ethnicity patients with severe pain (ORs [95% CI]: 0.43 [0.22-0.87] and 0.02 [0.00-0.19], respectively). Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic patients were more likely to have a prolonged LOS than non-Hispanic white patients (ORs [95% CI]: 1.68 [1.13-2.51] and 1.64 [1.09-2.47], respectively). No significant race/ethnicity-based disparities were identified in documentation of pain score, use of diagnostic procedures, 72-hour return visits, or hospital admissions.  CONCLUSIONS:Race/ethnicity-based disparities exist in ED analgesic use and LOS for pediatric abdominal pain. Recognizing these disparities may help investigators eliminate inequalities in care.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0031-4005",
doi="10.1542/peds.2012-3127",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-3127"
}