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From birth until death: how the ethnicity pain gap follows people through life
The Guardian • • health
Key Points:
- Research consistently shows patients from minority ethnic backgrounds face disparities in pain recognition and treatment across healthcare settings, from childhood through end-of-life care.
- Studies reveal racial bias in pediatric pain perception, with black children less likely to have their pain acknowledged or treated adequately, including lower opioid use for fractures and appendicitis.
- Black women experience significant disparities in maternity care, often having their pain underestimated or dismissed due to harmful stereotypes, contributing to higher maternal mortality rates.
- In emergency care, black patients are less likely to receive opioid prescriptions for pain, a trend also observed in chronic pain management and sickle cell disease treatment, where care standards are frequently unmet.
- Cancer and palliative care research in England shows minority ethnic patients receive fewer and lower doses of opioid pain relief near end of life, leading to more emergency visits and suggesting undertreatment of pain.
