University of Rochester Study Finds Racial Disparity in Use of Pain Medicine in Emergency Rooms

Filed in Research & Studies on July 19, 2013

A new study by researchers at the University of Rochester found that Black, poor, and low-educated patients are less likely to receive pain medicines in hospital emergency rooms than White, high-income, and well-educated patients. The study examined the experiences of more than 50,000 patients ages 18 and over at 1,400 emergency rooms at hospital across the country.

The study found that Black patients were prescribed pain medicine at a rate significantly lower than for White patients with similar injuries. The study also found that 49 percent of the patients from high-income neighborhoods were given pain medicines compared to 39 percent of patients from low-income neighborhoods.