Black older adults receive fewer life-saving surgeries

AORN Journal,  Oct, 2005  

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A new study found that between 1992 and 2001, black older adults received significantly fewer surgeries that would help them live better and longer lives compared to white older adults, according to an Aug 17, 2005, news release from Harvard School of Public Health, Boston. The study also showed that in many cases this disparity is increasing.

Researchers examined how often nine different types of surgical procedures were performed on nearly 40 million Americans enrolled in Medicare between 1992 and 2001. In 1992, white patients had higher rates for each of the procedures. By 2001, the gap between care for white and black older adults failed to decrease substantially in eight of the procedures, and increased dramatically in five types of procedures, including back surgeries, carotid endarterectomies, hip replacements, knee replacements, and appendectomies.

New Study Shows African-American Seniors Receive Fewer Life-Saving Surgeries than Whites (news release, Boston: Harvard School of Public Health, Aug 17, 2005).

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