Have you ever wondered if certain factors caused provider bias in the realm of medical care..especially with respect to pain management? Today's post explores a study of racial factors in pain management. A study conducted jointly by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has found that patient race, provider bias, and clinical ambiguity interact to influence a provider's assessment and treatment decisions. The researchers suggest that understanding these factors and their influence might be important in terms of improving patient care. Their results were presented at the 2014 meeting of the American Pain Society in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Adam Hirsh, a psychologist, and his colleagues studied 110 medical residents and their interactions with twelve computer simulated patients, all of whom presented with acute pain. The highlight of their finding is interesting: In the end, race mattered but not in a way you might expect. In situations where the diagnosis was unce
This blog is for chronic pain sufferers and their families. My intent is to help everyone who is affected on some level by chronic pain. I research and present news and ideas to help improve quality of life and minimize suffering and downtime!