Chest
The Contributing Role of Health-Care Communication to Health Disparities for Minority Patients With Asthma
Section snippets
Prevalence of Asthma Disparities
Asthma, a chronic disease characterized by airway inflammation, was active in 20 million people in the United States in 2002.1 It accounts annually for 1.9 million emergency department (ED) visits, 12.7 million office visits, and an economic burden of $5.1 billion.1, 2 The burden of asthma in the United States, however, is not uniform. Compared to whites, the prevalence of asthma is particularly high in Puerto Ricans, non-Hispanic blacks, and American Indians. Asthma morbidity is strikingly
Poor Provider/Patient Communication May Be More Common for Minority Patients
National guidelines for asthma care contained in the 1997 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored expert panel report22 highlight the importance of active partnership between patients and physicians. This partnership is highly relevant for effective communication about asthma symptoms, medications, and appropriate self-management (eg, education to avoid triggers and intensify medication regimens during exacerbations). However, a number of studies23, 24, 25, 26 have reported that
Reducing Asthma Disparities by Improving Patient/Provider Communication
The quality of communication between patients and their health-care providers has been shown to be related to satisfaction with care and adherence with therapy.67, 68, 69, 7071, 72, 73, 74 Improved physician/patient communication is likely to increase patient involvement and adherence to recommended therapy, as well as improve quality of care and health outcomes.75 For example, a study76 that was designed to enhance provider/patient communication showed a resulting increase in patient
Gaps and Opportunities for Research
Generally, there is much empiric evidence of problems related to doctor/patient communication and how these problems may lead to poorer care and outcomes. While some studies have been conducted with patients who have asthma, much of the evidence is derived from patients with other conditions. Areas where research is needed are numerous and include the following:
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Studies are needed that document the extent to which problems with doctor/patient communication lead to inadequate care and poor
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2018, Social Science and MedicineCitation Excerpt :Asthma is a complex disorder with different types and a range of symptomatology (Aaron et al., 2017). Studies show differences in asthma incidence, severity, and treatment associated with various social modalities of difference including: socioeconomic status (Persky et al., 2007), race/ethnicity (Cabana et al., 2007; Diette and Rand, 2007), gender, and age (Frampton et al., 2009; Grineski, 2008). Scholars offer a number of reasons for negative health outcomes including: difficulties in accessing healthcare, diminished ability to navigate through the healthcare system, and ineffective communication between patients and their physicians (Diette and Rand, 2007).
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The author has no conflict of interest to disclose.
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