According to a recent article in JAMA, whites are more likely to get narcotics for pain control than are blacks. (Other minorities such as Latinos and Asians also are more likely to get narcotics for pain than blacks.) The article intimates that doctors are more likely to think of blacks as drug seekers, rather than patients who have legitimate pain. Even for kidney stones, blacks receive Advil or Toradol more often than morphine or other narcotic analgesics.
The article I read also states that "blacks are the least likely group to abuse prescription drugs."
I didn't read the JAMA article; I read a story about the article here.
I'm not sure what I think yet. But I must admit, in my deepest little corner of my brain, a tiny voice is saying, "OF COURSE! you know it's true."
I'm a white person. I would like to think I treat everyone as they deserve to be treated, and do not base that treatment on the color of their skin. At least I hope I do. All in all, I have to agree with a doctor who was interviewed about this study, who said, "If anybody argues they have no social biases that sway clinical practice, they have not been thoughtful about the issue or they're not being honest with themselves."
When I go back to work tomorrow, I guess I'll have a little food for thought during the day.
Any opinions, blogosphere?
ADDENDUM: Thanks, Dr. Whitecoat! See WhiteCoat Rants for his take on the JAMA article above, with a link to the actual article here.
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3 comments:
Without having read the article, this statement:
"blacks are the least likely group to abuse prescription drugs."
is one I'd like to correlate with
"likeliness of USE of prescription drugs by ethnicity."
If blacks are given prescription drugs 50% less (to make numbers easier) and they're found, regardless of prescription usage, to be 50% less likely to abuse them well then duh, someone's got a bum study designed around political correctness.
If not, then it's actually really very interesting data.
Hey, Dr. Tom Bibey here.
I think you are right in that folks have to work at learning not to think the way our culture raised us.
Couldn't help but dig the title of your blog- I am a mandolin picking doc, and play some guitar, too.
Visit me at my blog. I think it is the first physician bluegrass fiction writer's blog on wordpress.
Dr. Tom Bibey
drtombibey.wordpress.com
My question is where did she get the information that blacks are less likely to abuse prescription drugs than whites? Is this her opinion or is this fact?
I do know that on the street, pain pills and nerve pills are normally considered "white" drugs, while cocaine and crack are considered "black" drugs.
I did go and read the article that you read. My honest opinion is that this is a study based on political correctness. Which sucks. I am so sick of things like that.
Who honestly knows why doctors give out pain meds when they do? From personal experience, I have been to doctors and given an array of pain, sleep, or nerve meds when I didn't actually need them. I have also been denied them when I really needed them pretty badly. Maybe it just depends on the doctor and the mood that he's in that day? Who knows?
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